Unravel
by Angel of Fate1
Summary: *pre-DGM timeline from Chapters 1 to 20; eventual Lavi x OC* With a new member in the Black Order, things will take getting used to... Especially when all the newcomer knows is how to kill and only that. *UPDATED AND OFF HIATUS*
1. Rafale

Hitomi: Uhhh… Back? *gets mauled* ACK, I'M SO SORRY! I know, I've been gone for too long, and I deeply apologize for that!

The reasons why I've been gone from fanfiction . net for a long time is because A) I have a fictionpress account for original fiction, where I've been at to write my own stuff— *gets mauled again* SORRY! And B) Aside from school and all that crap, writer's block has made me its victim again. It's still pissing me off up to now.

And yet, somehow… I'm about to write the fanfiction I'm typing up here. This time, it is D. Gray-Man, which I've gotten into a while back. The setting will initially take place before the D. Gray-Man plot AKA before Allen entered the picture. As I'll continue to write this, we will get to that part. I was feeling quite daring when creating this OC on a few aspects, so I hope I'll do her justice when it comes to developing her personality.

While it is Lavi x OC, that won't really show until way later AKA when I do settle on developing her personality.

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**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

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**Unravel**

**I**

**Rafale**

「_The consequences when you don't shield yourself from a storm…_」

* * *

Bright lights were all around in France at this hour; Paris, especially Paris, was quite a sight when you see the view of it from faraway rooftops. The vivid imagery of it all was complemented by the clear, dark blue sky that was exquisitely studded with shining stars. The full moon hung high up, surrounded within its usual but breathtaking silver luster. A dynamic of quiet and commotion collided with a pinch of life from the people, rolling into a flurry of a spontaneous, peaceful atmosphere.

Many people, from those who worked hard to earn their rest to those too young to be up late at night, slumbered fitfully around this time, but that didn't stop those who love the nightlife from going Into their drunken stupors, beyond the point of being able to act properly normal, those in the bars were either making merry folly out of it or were found to be on the tables and sleeping away in intoxicated bliss, aware or uncaring of the Hellish hangover they would suffer upon waking up the following day. Couples who loved going out were in their own worlds as they walked hand-in-hand on a romantic stroll and enjoyed each other's company. Those inside their cozy homes had their own ways to pass the time before going to sleep whether reading a book in a warm bed or stargazing outside the windows.

For some others, despite its serenity, nighttime ruled an iron fist over them. Those suffering from insomnia for their personal reasons knew this was just another evening where sleep was nothing but a foreign concept for who knows how long. However, they consoled themselves with the mere fact that they preferred night over day. Those up and about doing work had pledged their allegiance to the twilight, slaving away to their obligations and reaping the worthwhile rewards of money, good food, and being able to sleep in for long hours, and all snug with the blankets and pillows of their mattresses, when they were done.

For one person in particular, calm as the evening may be, it didn't elicit thoughts of relaxation in their mind. Rather, for this person, the darkness was nothing but a useful cloak to take cover under when needed. In fact, using this time of day in this certain occupation was an absolute necessity. However, there is a difference between one who feels a false sense of security when being unseen by others at this time and one who knows how to blend into the shadows seamlessly. In this business, being able to accomplish such a thing was considered an art form.

Money was the goal here, that much was a given. It couldn't be helped for her, concerning the circumstances. In her frame of mind, she had been taught that you couldn't get what you want unless you earned it. There was no way she was going to let him do everything in order to provide for her needs himself. As if she would let him do such a thing! Never mind the fact they had a close bond, she constantly reminded herself that she belonged to nobody but herself. He already knew she could fend for herself and she had her own way of doing things, but he still did some things for her in spite of her mild protest and confusion.

After all, she had sworn her loyalty and her strength to him. Loyalty to him, the organization and what it stood for, and most especially for the innocent people in this country and the world, was something she put above money by a long shot. She would never let him do everything for her, she didn't need that – she didn't want to feel like a burden to him anymore. She felt the need to prove herself on the fact that she had gotten stronger. Even so, she knew he cared for her more than he would say and she appreciated it, thus letting him do things she couldn't do herself such as cooking.

Most importantly, she couldn't refuse, even if she wanted to, to quit this profession as it was her only purpose in life thus far. This was the life she led for as long as she could remember and there was no way to completely give it up. She could've died back then, even before _that_, but whatever supernatural being was around decided to spare her the fate and had her live up to this point. Still, for the greater good and to purge the world of its evil, there were sacrifices to be made. In her eyes, this was how she saw the world when corruption was afoot and when war tore its way through the lands like a hurricane.

_"Remember to be careful, okay?" _His words etched into her mind, a worried look on his usually smiling face when he told her this occasionally. _"I know that in this job, it's expected to have casualties. However… I expect you not to die. You've come too far for that."_

_ I know, _she mused quietly in response to those words, feeling an odd relaxation from them. Perhaps because she was so used to his attitude, those words just gave her something to be assured about. _I know I have to be careful, so no problem. This is my duty, after all, so I won't die easily._

With that, she was on the move. She raced on the rooftop with footsteps as lithe and silent as the wind flapping her dark red cloak, cautious to make sure there no objects on the ground to make her trip or give her location away. Leaping from rooftop to rooftop that luckily had small distances, she finally landed onto an ornate roof of a lavish house – probably a condominium or a vacation house as it wasn't big enough to be a mansion. This was the perfect setting for this job in this area, with little light to guide you and being enveloped in darkness to conceal in. She kept herself hidden, ducking out of sight when she had heard footsteps coming from down below. Sharp eyes looked down carefully to see who the person was, scarcely breathing at this point.

Even in the darkness, she easily assessed that the figure was male. He was tall, about half a foot ahead of her or so, and he was roughly about sixteen to eighteen years old. Dark hair had been pulled back into a low ponytail, falling a little below his shoulders. In the chilly autumn breeze, it was expected to have a jacket on, so it was obvious he was all bundled up too. His social status was already given away for the texture of the long jacket was cashmere and he had a fur collar around his neck. Dark brown leather boots covered his legs while his hands were tucked into the coat's pockets. Despite not being able to get a good look at his face, what with looking at a side angle and all, a gleam caught her eye. Pinned on the left side of his luxurious coat was a small crest. In the shape of a silver shield with indigo edges, outlined on it was a gold and red etching of a griffin standing on its hind legs, ready to crush its opponents.

There was no doubt this person was the target she was hunting for the night. This was James Barrows, son of the noble, Louis Barrows. From what data the Underground gathered about him, James was the kind of noble who bribed the authorities with money when it came to covering up his crimes – mostly of theft, but there had been a murder case or two in which he was possibly involved in but it couldn't be proven. There had been rumors going about that he was also smuggling drugs into the family estate and making his own money out of that from those who could afford it or from those who were desperate enough to get their fix and didn't care what they had to do to get it. Using his wealth to his advantages since he belonged to a family that was one of the richer nobles around in the country, it was a sure sign of power abuse.

This had to be stopped before it worsened. James had been doing this for a few years now, give or take, and who knows what would happen if things continued on as they did.

_Nothing to lose now that I found him, _she thought seriously as she calculatedly twirled her now unsheathed dagger in her left hand. She grimaced darkly, knowing that this had to be done for the sake of the people suffering because of him. What kind of person would she be if she had waited until it was too late to stop this injustice? What a bunch of scumbags the high society can be sometimes and it was best if this lesser being was eradicated from the face of the Earth. _I better end this now._

She jumped down the roof in freefall, using the nearby wall of the house to duck and cover in when she landed solidly on her feet. She tensed against the solid barricade, keeping her dagger out and ready in case there would be a surprise attack. As skillful as she was in stealth, dimly, she wondered if James had heard her descent to the ground. Keeping her breath quiet, she peeked out from the corner just in case, checking on her target's judgment.

"What the…?" She barely heard James's bewildered voice, backing away considerably to stay out of his sight in order not to get caught. Her heart racing and a bead of perspiration falling from one of her temples, she gripped her knife tightly, staying still. Hearing the shuffling of feet approaching her, she braced herself for whatever was to come, aware that this wouldn't be the first time she had to fight off a target until they died. As if reconsidering and thinking nothing of it, the footsteps retreated and she heard his voice again in shades of skepticism, relief, and reassurance, mumbling to himself. "Ahah, wow, James, some noble you are. What kind of person are you, being afraid of every little thing that bumps in the night? It must've been the wind… Or it could've been a cat scurrying in an alley. Don't be a chicken…"

Peering out again, she saw that James had his back turned, watching that his legs were in movement. It meant he was still on his way, wherever his destination was, and nothing was going to stop him. Satisfied with this outcome, she still kept her dagger out, taking out a second one to put in her right hand unhesitatingly. She had nothing to be afraid of for very few people came through here at this time when she made her rounds in certain areas of the country almost every night.

As cautiously as she could, she crept up to him noiselessly, seemingly muting her every breath of inhalation and exhalation. In the blink of an eye, she had latched herself onto his back with her legs fastened tightly around his torso and daggers poised up in the air. As James flailed around once he felt the sudden weight, not quick enough to register what was going on due to fear taking over his senses, a cold, neutral voice struck through him, speaking what would be the last words he heard before his demise:

"It is now that karma has made judgment for the consequences of your selfish choices for I am the messenger of Death, James Barrows."

A chill ran down his spine, realization dawning on him of what his fate would be. Alas, it was too late for him, the knives were too quick to stop. The last things he had detected with his five senses were the clang of metal, the ripping of flesh, and a flash of silver and red. It was then he felt that weight roll off his back, landing lightly on the ground and watching him die. Slowly, James felt himself crumpling to the ground and he watched his blood spraying onto the ground, catching like a million rubies. Black gradually took over his vision and whatever remained of his life in those finals moments escaped in a ragged wisp as his soul took flight to depart from this world.

Immediately, she approached James and bent down to examine his corpse with the eyes of a hunter. Blood pooled under him in sickening quantities, and it stained her clothes as well when she made her kill, but she was unfazed by it. She watched as it blemished his coat, the white fur on his collar dyed red as if stained with wine. Sheathing her bloodstained daggers, she reached out and plucked the brooch from his chest, studying the details of it.

_You couldn't even crush your opponent let alone be aware of your surroundings, oh mighty griffin. _She mused with a trace of mockery, shaking her head slowly as if disappointed while taking one last glance at the corpse. _Let this be a warning to the rest of your family who are in cahoots with corruption._

Pocketing the crest as evidence of her dark deed, she disappeared into the dark, desolate alley, shifting into the shadows and becoming one of them. She slid away, knowing that she wouldn't be found…

She never was.

* * *

**EDIT: **As you noticed, I've edited this chapter. I feel it's a lot more detailed and actually tells the circumstances of Rue and of the current situation she's in, which was something I had failed to do when writing this chapter due to writer's block and being pressured for time. So, from now on, I will keep rewriting the early chapters until I'm satisfied. I'll be editing the grammar and what not, but no worries, the content of the story is mostly the same. However, there will be a few… *ahem* Changes in the fanfic that haven't been seen the first time.

Hitomi: This was all I could think of at the top of my head. Seriously, this was the only thing I could think of as an introduction to my character. The next chapter, as far as I'm concerned, will reveal on the Black Order sensing Innocence in France. The only problem with this is… *grins a little* Well, I'm not sure what kind of weapon to give the OC for Innocence. I already decided it'll be an equipment type… But, I'm not sure if I've any ideas here. So, help me out!

For those who didn't get the chapter title, Rafale means Squall (or storm) in French. There's a reason why I put it there.


	2. Purpose

Hitomi: First of all, I would like to say thank you for all of those reviews! XD Really, I didn't expect all that much, hahaha.

Second of all, this chapter was based on last night's RP with Marlin-Rae. She did Lavi while I did the rest of the characters that'll be introduced here. XD I especially had fun doing Kanda's role as well as Komui's, hehe. Hope that we kept the D. Gray-Man people in character.

So yeah, she's kinda like my co-writer, basically, which I thank her for.

Lastly, I still thank all of you for reading this story. I hope you'll continue to follow it.

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**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

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**Unravel**

**II**

**Purpose**

[_Everyone has a reason to live in life, even if you don't know your own yet._]

* * *

In the Black Order, everyone was busy with their own duties. This day was no different.

"Kanda, Lavi! You have a mission!" A familiar voice was announced throughout the place by intercom. Supervisor Komui was the one to say this as he went on working through papers on his desk.

The sixteen-year-old redhead, Lavi, had just walked into the room moments after the announcement. However, he almost bumped into sixteen-year-old dark blue haired swordsman, Kanda Yuu, who had already made his presence in the office and was waiting for the information.

"Oh?" The redhead smiled in delight as he saw the short-tempered swordsman. "We're going together?"

"Wait a minute, how come I'm being partnered up with the stupid rabbit?!" Kanda, however, didn't find this amusing at all.

Supervisor Komui was smirking a little, knowing fully well like everyone else that Lavi can annoy Kanda a lot. But because of Kanda's personality, he felt that he needed to develop that more by doing this since Kanda would usually take up on solo missions.

"Well… I just feel that you two need some quality time together." He reasoned, taking a sip out of his coffee that was also on his desk. "After all, we do teamwork in the Order. You should already be aware of that by now, Kanda."

"Che…" Kanda scoffed, looking rather annoyed. "I don't need to do teamwork, not with the stupid rabbit or anyone else. I prefer to work alone, thanks."

"Oh, come on, Yuu… That hurts." Lavi put on a fake frown to emphasize the emotion.

"And what did I tell you on calling me by my first name too?! Why you—" He was about to take out Mugen to hurt Lavi with, but this was interrupted by the Supervisor.

"The higher ups will not take to that, Kanda. And if you don't start accepting teamwork around here…" Komui was grinning now, looking like he had some evil intentions in mind since his glasses were glinting eerily. "I'm going to keep pairing you with Lavi on every mission until you get the meaning of teamwork."

"WHAT?!" This time, Kanda really did take out Mugen, ready to strike Komui with it.

"Either take it or leave it." The supervisor was serious, all trace of humor gone from his face. "I know you know that you want to get this over with. Is that understood?"

"Komui—" There was a growl to his voice now.

"Is that understood?"

"…Tch. Fine, whatever."

"Glad you took that into consideration." Komui smiled, satisfied with this answer, as he took another sip of his coffee.

Growling again, Kanda sulkily sheathed Mugen, feeling defeated.

"Now then, your mission…" He gave the documents to the two Exorcists. "You two will be sent off to France. Sources say there's a fragment of Innocence there, so I want you two to retrieve it."

"Innocence, huh? Any other information on whether a potential exorcist holds it or not?" Kanda asked, looking through the briefing.

"Hmmm, they didn't say. Whether that's the case or not, we'll find out for ourselves." Komui tapped his fingers on his desk in thought. "For now, just retrieve the Innocence before the Earl finds it."

"Sounds easy enough." Lavi piped in, pocketing the articles back into their folder and inside of his robe.

"Who knows, we still need to prepare ourselves for any attacks from Akuma. So, you better get ready and not slow me down, you stupid rabbit." With that, Kanda departed from the office to get ready himself, perhaps still displeased on being paired up with Lavi for this.

"Same as always, that Kanda…" Komui mumbled, shaking his head.

Lavi smirked at Komui's way, not afraid of Kanda at all. Grinning back, the supervisor waved a hand dismissively as if to tell him he may leave. Getting the message, the redhead turned to the door to follow his much angrier partner.

* * *

On the train ride to France, Kanda was still trying to ignore the fact that Lavi was his partner. But, this was very difficult to do for that Lavi was trying to talk to him about who knows what, which he had been doing ever since they got on the train.

Finally, he had enough, irritation evident in his voice as he snarled, "Would you shut it already?! This would be easier for me if you just KEEP QUIET!"

Lavi just smiled at his partner, replying back, "And if you would JUST answer the question, it'd make this ride so much easier."

"And what question is that?!"

The redhead paused a moment to think about this. Then, he had it.

"…How long… Is forever?" Now, he was smiling wider than before, knowing fully well that Kanda will fuss about this.

The dark blue haired Exorcist turned fully to him to give him a small glare.

"And what do you mean by that, you stupid rabbit?"

"I was curious… How long is it?"

"How the Hell should I know?! Ugh, this is so stupid!"

"Everyone else answers differently." Lavi shrugged, saying this as if it was a fact. "Thought your answer might be interesting." There he goes, back to smiling to piss off Kanda even more.

"While everyone else may have their answers, I don't! If you make me answer this, I can assure you that I will kill you when we get back to the O—"

The announcement had interrupted his death threat as it broadcasted, "Next stop is France! Next stop!"

"Finally!" Lavi proclaimed, forgetting that he was having fun making Kanda angry.

"About damn time too! Che!" Impatiently, Kanda chose to use the window instead of the door to get out of the train.

"Sir, you're not supposed to jump out the window…!" One of the stewardesses yelled out to Kanda, horrified.

Lavi just looked at the stewardess and shrugged with a smile, as if telling her that there's no point on ordering the hotheaded Exorcist around, before he stood up to use the door like a normal person would.

"Would you hurry up already?!" Kanda spat, edgy on Lavi slowing him down.

Knowing that this angered him, the redhead didn't hurry much as he caught up to Kanda.

"…You know… Patience is a virtue, Kanda." He had pointed this out calmly.

"Hmph…" The other boy chose to ignore this, walking ahead to France. "Now then, for the Innocence…"

* * *

In France, many people were unaware that assassins have their own organization. In order to take undercover and make sure that the population wouldn't notice, they made their place hidden. So, they took it to make their hideout underground. Their objective was (and still is) to get rid of people who were corrupted by power.

A familiar figure was walking around, heading to a certain part of the hideout. Usually, most people were unable to tell what gender this person was, given the appearance. The hair was a strawberry blonde that was layered; long bangs that grew out up to the chin, but it was boyishly short at the back, around at the nape of the neck. Rune tattoos were at the back of the neck, which spread to the sides of it. The clothes were certainly boyish, giving people even more questions on possibility of crossdressing. The shape of the body was also questionable, no signs of development. But, few people have been able to guess that this person in question was actually female.

With sleepy blue-gray eyes, having been tired from last night's assignment, she went up to a specific door in this underground world and knocked on it.

"Enter." A young male's voice called from within and she went inside.

Greeted by many bookshelves and other sorts in the surprisingly spacious room, in the center of it was a desk that was occupied by a nineteen-year-old male. With tied back olive green hair that was still short, his bangs hiding the scar that was at the left side of his face, cherry red eyes greeted her with a deep familiarity.

Approaching his desk, the thirteen-year-old dug into her pocket and put a familiar bloodied crest on there.

"I'm sorry that I didn't give this to you earlier, Sir." She started with a cool voice, rubbing her eyes sleepily. "I got tired due to hunting around for the target all until the late hours of the morning, so I needed rest. But, I've already done it since, as you already know, this is proof that I've assassinated noble Louis's son."

"Good job, Rafale." The male nodded in approval, taking the crest and putting it into a drawer as he wrote this down in a records book that was nearby on his desk. "Are you sure nobody saw you last night?"

"Quite unlikely, Sir." "Rafale" continued on her report, tight lipped and serious, still trying not to show any signs of fatigue; though, it was too late for that as she already gave it away moments earlier. "I killed him as quickly as possible in the least likely place anyone would pass through. Believe me, there had been reports that the place I was in had a moderate rate of thieves and such."

"What of the body, though?"

"I didn't bother hiding it or anything due to what I've told you on where I was. That and someone was bound to find it sooner or later, whether I hid it or not, since everyone would notice that noble Louis's son would be missing."

"Though you make a good point, it's same as always for you… It would benefit if you did hide the corpses or you would be caught one day." The young male shook his head at this; nonetheless, he gave another nod of approval. "Anyway, go take a good rest and keep your training steady. I don't want you to overexert yourself and you know what I mean by that, Rafale."

"Thank you for the praise, Sir. However, I still say you worry too much about me." She said with an unknown emotion, giving a curt nod. Turning around, her dark cloak swishing with her, she was about to depart out of the office.

"One last thing to tell you before you go." The male began with a tone she had not heard from him at all, stopping the girl at the doorway.

Turning her head to look over her shoulder, blue-gray locked with cherry red.

"Hm? What is it?" Though she refused to show it, "Rafale" still felt the familiar emotion of confusion there.

"If you want to find your purpose on why you're still alive… If you see an opportunity to be free of this life… Take it. Take it and make new memories beyond being just an assassin, which is all you've ever known. There is so much more to life than this. I know I shouldn't be living this too, but you are far younger than me and it makes me feel pained to see you like this."

"…Sir?"

"I…" His expression softened when seeing her face. "I don't want you to die with any regrets… Rue."

Hearing him call her by her real name now, she knew this was important. In all of the years he had been there for her as an older brother figure and a caretaker, when she had no memories of her parents, she knew on how important she was to him. And she felt the same way, no doubt.

"Of course… Sir." Rue called him this hesitantly, nodding in acknowledgment as she kept his words in mind. "If I should leave France for whatever reason… I'll still write to you."

"That's fine. I figured you didn't want to lose contact because I've been a big part of your life. I guess…" He grinned a little, chuckling gently. "I guess you grew attached to this place after all, eh?"

"…Maybe so." She replied uncertainly, having a lot of thoughts in her mind. "Maybe so… Riley." Letting his own name be spoken, Rue walked out of the office without another word.

* * *

Hitomi: Since last night's RP was long, I decided to divide it into another chapter. So, next chapter will be when Kanda and Lavi will find Rue.

I told you I had a reason why I called Chapter I Rafale. Rafale is Rue's assassin name as all assassins in the underground society need codenames in order not to get caught.

As for whether I'll post Rue's character profile… To do or not to do… Hehe, we'll see!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please, read and review!


	3. Calling

Hitomi: Back in the Philippines. And I thank all of those who've reviewed. XD To be honest, I thought people didn't review as much for that they think this is boring (that and probably the majority decided to stay away since OC usually means Mary-Sue). But, thank you very much.

Now, I shall work on this chapter!

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**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

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**Unravel**

**III**

**Calling**

[_I somehow meet you in spite of this mess._

_Maybe I've been calling you without even realizing it._]

* * *

"Damn it…" Kanda complained as the two were walking around Lyon, France. "Didn't Komui provide information on where the Innocence could be? This is getting annoying, considering on how big it is here…"

"…Come on… Stay optimistic…" Lavi chided with a small frown, his one green eye flicking around in directions should there be anything suspicious. "We just gotta find where some unusual activity is taking place. Shouldn't be too hard…"

As if on cue, suddenly, there was an explosion a couple of miles away and a bunch of people screaming could be heard.

"See?" Lavi looked at Kanda when this happened.

"Shit…!" Kanda paled, whipping out Mugen from its hilt, as he ran over to the attacked place. "Come on!"

Lavi followed him to the setting that was obviously swarmed by Akuma, taking out his hammer to prepare for battle.

* * *

_Maybe I should go out… It'd be nice to have an adventure of sorts. _Rue mused, putting finishing touches on the letter she was writing to Riley. _Better leave this here, so that Riley can see this…_

In her cozy room, there was a small bag settled onto her bed. That was filled with some clothes and personal belongings that she had put in there.

Equipping her daggers at either side of her hips, she left the letter on her desk as she grabbed the bag and slung it over her shoulder.

_This is goodbye for now, I guess._

She went out on one of the secret passage ways in the Underground Society. When reaching one of the ends, she tapped the ceiling of the passage carefully. Seeing that it was loose, she pushed it quietly and hoisted herself up there. Blue-gray eyes scanned the surroundings, realizing that she had pushed the floorboards of a church she's been into countless times.

Getting out from the passageway, she was now in the chapel. Silently, she had placed the floorboards back on their proper place. She wasn't worried if anyone would find it since people who are not part of the Underground Society would not be able to see the passage should they accidentally discover that the floorboards were loose.

Once out of the door, Rue met with a sudden explosion outside. People were running around and yelling, general chaos was happening.

"Damn it! What…!"She coughed uncontrollably from the smoke. Opening her eyes again, she was face-to-face with both Level 1 and Level 2 Akuma.

"Tch, this again?" She wasn't surprised; this was probably the third time encountering Akuma, which meant she already knew that her daggers wouldn't work against them from the last two meetings.

"Why do you have to…?" She didn't need to finish her sentence, what she was referring to was that she suspected that the Akuma were seeking her out as a target and she didn't even know why. She wasn't afraid or anything; she was just annoyed, confused and, perhaps even a little, intimidated.

Her fists had clenched themselves and, as they did, they started to glow. While bullets targeted her, all she could do was dodge.

* * *

Meanwhile, the two Exorcists were fighting the adversaries off.

As Kanda slashed away at them with Mugen, he called out to his partner, "Lavi, since the Akuma are here, the Innocence must be nearby! Help me find it while we fight these bastards off!"

The redhead nodded in response while he slammed his hammer onto an Akuma. He glanced around wildly, looking around, while he grabbed and moved a child out of the way as a hail of Akuma bullets came down. The swordsman was ducking from them as well, defending a couple of people and commanding that they take cover while the fray was all out.

"Damn…" Kanda cursed, still fighting off the pesky Akuma as he was still searching for the Innocence.

* * *

Rue was still feeling the emotions growing stronger, her still clenched fists glowing brightly. At the back of her mind, there seemed to be something calling out to her.

Closing her eyes, she whispered, "What are these words I have to say? For some strange reason, my mind is telling me to say them…"

The auras on her hands were finally taking shape, though it has still yet to finish.

"Innocence, activate!" The young girl's voice called out while the auras finally revealed themselves; fighting gloves were now onto her hands, one black and one white.

Kanda felt something not too far away. Surely…

"What the…! What was that?!" He cried out as he was still battling it out with the Akuma.

Lavi turned around too just as another Akuma approached.

"I sense it too…" He mumbled, summoning the Fire Seal from his hammer to destroy a couple of Akuma. "The Innocence…"

* * *

This was the first time activating this power in such a time and she was feeling overwhelmed from it. Because Rue was not so used to it, she started to feel woozy. She looked at her hands, doubtful on what just happened.

"Well, then," she stated, focusing fully now as she dodged the Akuma bullets, which made a narrow miss. "I've already been trained with unarmed combat before weapons, so time to make this useful!" She ran over to the Akuma that was going to shoot her earlier, giving a good punch to it. Though, it did some damage, it wasn't too powerful to kill it.

* * *

_Where is it? It's nearby, but the presence is faint… _Kanda questioned this, dodging yet another Akuma attack as he slashed the creature with a powerful blow.

Lavi destroyed another Akuma again before moving through more of them. Someone else was fighting… Someone with a newly activated Innocence. Lavi knew this much was true; he also had in mind that since it was just newly activated, the Exorcist in question wouldn't be able to survive for long since the attack power was currently weak. The Exorcist wasn't strong enough to defeat Akuma on their own just yet, which meant serious trouble.

They both had to hurry before the predicament would turn to that.

Rue was struggling now, being thrown down by an Akuma once again. She rolled away while she was down, the bullets missing her again.

"Shit…" She grumbled, wiping blood from the corner of her mouth. "It's a little difficult bringing these monstrosities down…"

Lavi, who was nearby, saw the girl fall down from the Akuma's tackle. Using his hammer, he had rushed over and attacked the Akuma before it had a chance to hit her again.

Just when she was going to continue fighting, despite being in a weak condition with the Innocence, her eyes caught a redheaded boy take care of the problem. From what she could tell of his appearance, he was three years older than her. Shaking her head, she sat up slowly, still feeling a bit dizzy.

"You okay?" He asked her, his turn to hit the ground as he scouted for more Akuma.

"Y-Yeah," she mumbled in reply, uncertain on whether she should be relieved or not. "Just a bit dizzy."

She glanced at her hands once more, confusion unsettlingly there. "What could this mean, I wonder…"

"We'll explain later." He grabbed her by the arm to pull her out of the way as more Akuma bullets shot down from the sky. "You **DON'T **want to get hit by these things, believe me!"

"Will make note, then…"

"Oy, Rabbit!" Kanda roared, quite irritated now. "Did you find the Innocence or not?!"

"Yes! Now… Could use some help!" The redhead clenched his teeth, ready to kill off some more Akuma; now, there were three or four more left.

"Tch… Damn, still? Well, then, time to get rid of this trash as much as possible." He casted First Illusion: Hell's Insects towards them.

Rue was shaking her head again, trying to ease herself from the faintness she was feeling at the moment.

Taking a glance at the girl's hands, the dark blue-haired swordsman was sensing a familiar power within them.

_So, that's the Innocence… _He noted cautiously as he and Lavi destroyed the last of the Akuma.

"Let's get out of here now before more Akuma come." Kanda said to the two as he ran ahead. Lavi complied; grabbing Rue gently by the arm again and leading her to walk with him to where the other Exorcist was heading. Rue, while being led, was tempted to ask so many questions; however, she refrained, deciding to do so until they entered the train or when going to their real destination, the Black Order.

* * *

They entered the train and relaxed once it started to move.

Rue was hesitant, but she would not show it. As her blue-gray eyes drifted to the two males, she asked under a cool expression, "So, what's going on?"

Kanda looked at her seriously, indicating his face to point to the gloves on her hands.

"The gloves you have on your hands… That was created from a force called Innocence."

"Innocence…?" She mumbled the word, her eyes flickering in confusion.

Lavi, seeing this, smiled and responded, "It'll make a hell of a lot more sense once we're back at the Order, don't worry."

The strawberry blonde haired girl's dark eyes flicked to her hands once more, unsure of what to make of the situation. She decided not to say anymore after that, saving it when they would arrive at their destination.

"At least there's one person who appreciates silence… Unlike a CERTAIN SOMEONE." Kanda pointed out with a huff, obviously referring to Lavi.

The redhead smiled, responding with, "You love me~"

"You wish, you stupid rabbit!"

While they decided to bicker, the young girl kept her eyes glued to the window, looking at the landscape. With a lot of bewilderment there, having a lot on her mind, she wondered on what would happen to her now.

Lavi glanced at her, his expression softening.

"What's your name?" He asked in a friendly voice, wanting to show her that the two don't mean any harm. "I'm Lavi."

Rue jolted at his voice, surprised that he was talking to her. She shifted her eyes to him, uncertain on what to tell him. But after debating on the idea, she turned her body to fully face him, blue-gray locking with green.

"…It's Rue." She said at last, not keeping her eyes off of him.

"Rue?" His smile remained. "Beautiful name."

She felt surprised again; she doesn't hear compliments concerning her often. And even when she did, she often felt mixed on how she would feel towards this sort of thing. She settled on giving a slight nod of reluctant thanks.

"Beautiful?" Kanda snorted at this, his smirk smug. "I don't know much on the language, but doesn't Rue mean 'street' in French?"

An unknown emotion stirred in her as she now faced the other Exorcist, blue-gray eyes forming an icy glare.

"What of it?" She asked, not bothering to mask the tone in her voice; Hell, she wanted to show him that she was not at all pleased of what she heard.

"What?" He glared back at her; both of them now forming sparks between their glowers. "I'm not joking and I know you know that I'm right."

"Kanda… Be nice." Lavi's green eye turned dark from his own frown, giving Kanda a warning of sorts.

"Not after all of the Hell we went through to get her! This girl's Innocence better have been worth this mission, but I guess I'm wrong because she looks weak—" He couldn't say anything else for that a blur had tackled him hard. "Why you, get off—"

He was cut off by this as he could feel cold metal being pressed on his flesh.

The redhead stood up, wide-eyed at the scene that unfolded before him.

"Kanda… Rue…!!!" This was all he managed to choke out.

Cold slate fastened on black as Rue still kept her dagger against Kanda's throat.

"Either you keep your damn mouth shut… Or you'll die here. Consider this as a warning… Kanda." She threatened frostily as she finally got off him. Withdrawing her dagger, she had sheathed it in the hilt attached to her hip, walking away to her seat as if pretending that nothing had happened.

Grumbles escaped Kanda's lips as he got up and rubbed his throat. When he had settled back in his seat, his mind went numb with shock, so he decided to shoot glares at her when she wasn't looking. Lavi, on the other hand, shook his head, equally shocked at what happened for he had not expected that. Slowly, he sat back down in his own seat.

As she watched the scenery outside, the girl thought at the back of her mind, _Is this what you were talking about… Sir Riley? About taking an opening out of my assassin life? Because, as far as I'm concerned, I would rather remain in it than be in the situation I'm in right now._

_What is up with this girl? _Kanda was quite annoyed, shooting her occasional glares. _Attacking me like that all of a sudden… And that look in her eyes… Damn it, it pisses me off!_

"Now…" After a moment, Lavi spoke up, noticing the other Exorcist giving the assassin dirty looks. "Don't make me separate you two, children." He smiled, amused of this.

"Children?!" Kanda spat, whirling to Lavi with an aggravated look. "I'm not a child and you know it, you…!"

"Hmph…" Rue sneered as she kept her face out to the glass. "Easily hotheaded, aren't you, fool?"

"WHAT?!" Now, he was going to bring out Mugen and teach the brat a lesson.

"YUU!" Lavi warned, not wanting any more trouble.

"…Che!"

Rue clenched a fist and nothing else, watching the scenery slow down.

"…I think we're here now." She mumbled, getting out her seat.

Lavi sighed with exasperation before standing up. He was waiting for Kanda to go out of the train first, so he could be between him and the girl. Thankfully, the hot tempered Exorcist did this; glad to have done it as he didn't look back at the other two, walking ahead the moment he got out of the train.

Rue stayed silent, masking up her disgruntlement as she trailed behind the redhead.

As if reading her mind, he consoled, "That's Yuu-chan for you… He is just as pleasant with everyone else… So, I wouldn't worry about it."

"I don't even know how you put up with him…" She mumbled so low for she didn't want Kanda to hear it. She, then, looked up and observed her surroundings once they entered the headquarters. "…Where are we?"

"This? This, my dear, is the Black Order."

She stayed silent again, still looking around with curiosity. As she kept exploring, she could hear people talking about her.

"What's this? Ah, he must be a new Exorcist."

"Really? But, he looks so young…"

"Wonder what his Innocence is."

"Um, guys, what if that isn't a boy? What if that's actually a girl?"

"Are you serious?! No way!"

"Seriously! Argh, now look what you did! Now, I'm confused on the gender!"

"Maybe we should just leave the gender on androgynous?"

On and on they went, talking about her.

"It's sort of intimidating at first…" Rue tore her focus away from the people around her; instead, she paid close attention to Lavi, who looked down at her with a soft smile. "But… You'll get used to it fast."

She nodded a little at this, still taking in on where she was. She stopped a moment, gulping as she looked at the redhead's face, feeling some sort of anxiety.

"I hope… I am not in trouble…"

"…Trouble?" Lavi questioned this, confused.

She went quiet again. Since she had no idea what she's done or where she was exactly located, she was very puzzled of the whole ordeal.

"You'll be fine," he was trying to reassure her, his smile there. "Don't worry." And she could only nod, putting her trust in the boy.

"I don't even know why you bother with her, rabbit, if she's not worthy of her own Innocence." Kanda said in a tone that was to say that he was putting her down. "Since this girl has already begun to get at my bad side, report the details to Komui yourself. There's no way I want to be in the same room as her after what she did!" He was still angry about the incident back in the train.

"Likewise," the young girl's tone was dark, murderous, as she gave a sharp defiant stare to the older boy. "You'll only get in my way, anyway."

He shot her a look of equally strong dislike.

"Hmph… That's my line. Challenge me and I'll be the one to kill you, I guarantee it."

"I'd like to see you try with that temper of yours." Saying this with finality, she brushed past him with Lavi following her cautiously as they made their way to the command post to meet up with Komui.

Annoyed with this remark, the dark blue-haired swordsman went off to his room to cool off and rest.

* * *

Hitomi: Finally done! *flops*

As you can see, Kanda and Rue are not going to get along. XD As I continue writing this fic, they're basically gonna have a relationship of bickering siblings as well as seeing each other as rivals in the Black Order.

For Lavi, however, he will still have the Deak personality within him, so I'll be developing that as well. But, like I told you, he and Rue are not going to be romantically involved until way later on.

I already made it clear that I will not make Rue a Mary Sue (not that I would even want to!). I want her to get personality development as well as developing her Innocence powers. As you can see, she is currently weak. Wait 'till you find out her synchronization.

So, it'll be a while until we get to the part in D . Gray-Man when Allen enters. Hopefully, this won't be boring to you guys!

Please, read and review! Feedback is appreciated!


	4. New Beginnings

Hitomi: Again, thank you to those who have reviewed! Seriously… I can't thank you guys enough for it. XD I thought it would be boring to you guys, but it doesn't seem to be. *SHOT*

It's just so much fun to find Rue in this situation and that. XD And with the trouble she had with Kanda, let's see what else is going to happen.

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

* * *

**Unravel**

**IV**

**New Beginnings**

[_In a new chapter of my life, in a new place I'm not familiar with…_

_What could be waiting for me?_]

* * *

Lavi lead Rue to Komui's office, relieved to be away from Kanda. Obviously, the both of them clashed too much and he didn't want to be responsible for what could happen should the two fight each other seriously. For all he knew, they might end up killing one another when they're supposed to be comrades. Honestly, this was Rue's first day on being in the Black Order and, already, she's gotten into a fight with an Exorcist.

Looks like the Black Order might be having some changes.

"Ah, you're back from the mission in one piece." Komui observed when the two came into his workplace, having looked up from his desk as he momentarily stopped doing his paperwork. "Where's Kanda?"

"Went to his room," the redhead replied with a light sigh, shaking his head. "**Believe **me, he doesn't need to be here."

"Oh? I wonder what could've gone wrong…" The supervisor reflected, a puzzled frown on his face. His dark purple eyes' look changed to a curious one as he spotted Rue beside the older boy; apparently, she seemed to be keen looking at her hands and with such a mixed expression. "And I'm guessing this girl… Has the Innocence." It was a wonder how Komui could tell what gender Rue was when the majority couldn't figure out at all.

A nod confirmed the fact as Lavi introduced her, "This is Rue."

"Rue, hm?" A small smile formed on Komui's lips. "Interesting…"

Snapping back to reality, the girl in question nodded a little. Still staying by Lavi's side, she bowed to the person who would be her new boss. While she was still in Underground Society, there were some missions where she had to go undercover and learned some forms of courtesy before going out. This was one of those situations, but she was doing this out of sincerity.

"My name is Rue Marucut," Rue introduced coolly with formality, now attentive as she gave a crisp salute. "I hope that I'll be of use to you, Sir…?"

"Komui, Komui Lee." He replied with a still lingering smile, amazed on her manners. Lavi's eyebrows rose up when hearing the girl's last name for that he thought she was a native French; apparently, he knew now that she was only half-French due to the origin of her last name.

"All right, Sir Komui. I really hope that I'll be of use to you."

"Oh, you're more than enough help to us for that we need your Innocence to defeat the Earl of the Millennium." When he met Rue's quizzical face, he was more than happy to explain the history of the Innocence, the Earl, and the Akuma. While he did this, the girl decided to make note of this useful Information, so she can remind herself why she has the Innocence's power.

As the redhead listened to their discussion, his mind was reeling with questions about Rue. Ever since he and Kanda got her to go to the Order, it did make him a little curious on who she was. From what he could tell, though, it seemed that she was all a mystery to him and the rest of the Order. She didn't look to be the type to answer personal questions; then, that would mean that he would have to wait for her to reveal herself to him.

But, why the sudden interest when he shouldn't even care in the first place? Who knows, it was probably because of that damned personality he was starting to develop during his stay in the Order. He was supposed to remain as "Deak," also well known as Bookman Jr., and nothing more than that. But, his persona as "Lavi" was really starting to get to him these days…

"Um…" He spoke up from the two's conversation, lifting a hand. "Is it all right for me to leave now?"

Komui turned to him and said, "All right, it would be okay to leave, Lavi. But, this girl…" Referring to Rue, even though she wasn't one to show emotions easily if at all, he noticed that she seemed to be in thought; or, if not, it was possible that she was still a little jumpy and panic-stricken as much as she didn't want to show it. "She still seems to be rather uncomfortable with me."

Perplexed, Lavi looked from his boss to the girl herself. He wasn't sure what that meant for him. The girl was only a fellow Exorcist, someone he was working with; nothing more, nothing less. Honestly, he didn't really care about this and he definitely shouldn't due to his Bookman duties.

But, to play his part as "Lavi," he simply smiled and nodded as the following came out of his mouth, "I'll wait with her, then."

Hearing this, Rue gave him a befuddled look at the corner of her eye as she sensed that she might be burdening him and figured that he had better things to do. But, she spoke out nothing of the sort as she directed her attention to Komui again. Since he was curious about her Innocence, she activated it. The black and white gloves, once more, appeared onto her hands.

"Thank you," Komui expressed his gratitude to Lavi; then, looked at Rue as she activated her Innocence. "The Innocence you have, Rue… It's an Equipment type. Since it's used for unarmed combat, I suggest you be careful when battling Akuma for that you don't have much range. Since you recently activated it, you're not powerful enough yet. But, I'm sure that as you develop your skills while you begin to use your Innocence often, you'll be able to protect yourself more. Even when you unlock skills for distant attacks, you'll be able to fight Akuma with no problems at all."

Rue made an acknowledged nod, making note of this.

"Of course, Sir Komui. Is that all you have to tell me?"

"That is all. Both of you are dismissed." Komui said with a sip of his coffee. As they were making their way to the door, the director caught Lavi's notice once more, "Lavi, go ahead and show her around the Order. She'll need to know her way around here."

_Another reason he kept me here… _The redhead thought; but, nonetheless, he smiled and nodded.

"Let's go." Lavi notified Rue as he went out the door, turned, and led the way.

Rue followed the older boy out the door, but not before giving Komui another nod as she went off and closed the door.

* * *

On the way around, they met up with a fourteen-year-old girl whose long, dark teal pigtails trailed behind her.

"Lavi, welcome back! Glad to see that you're safe!" She greeted him cheerfully, her dark purple eyes lightened up as a sign of relief.

"Thank you, Lenalee." The boy expressed with a smile.

Lenalee Lee smiled back, but her eyes caught a head of strawberry blonde hair. Inquisitive, the young girl looked to find a girl one year younger than her.

"Hey Lavi, is he… Or she… a new Exorcist?" She specified to Rue confusedly (due to obviously being unable to tell the gender), who shifted behind the redhead at the mention of her.

"Ah yes, she is." Lavi noticed Lenalee's bafflement and he looked back at Rue a moment to observe; she looked to be a little uncomfortable. "That was why Yuu and I went off to the mission. There was Innocence in France and she just happens to be the one who wields it."

"I see… What's your name?" The Chinese girl asked with a welcoming smile. "My name's Lenalee Lee."

Coming out from behind the male Exorcist, the other young female looked at her with a vague look; nonetheless, she had established herself.

"Rue," she told her in a calm voice, a serious expression on her face. "Rue Marucut. It's nice to meet you, Miss Lee."

"Oh no, Lenalee is just fine, Rue. Welcome to the Black Order!"

"Thank you for the welcome. I think I want to go rest, though…"

"Mm, okay! It's been a long day for you, right? So yes, it'd be better to get some rest. Besides, I was on my way to see what my older brother was up to." She quipped with a nod, walking on her way to the command post. "Nice meeting you, Rue! I hope we can be friends. And Lavi, get some rest too!"

"All right," Lavi called back to her with a smile. "See you later, Lenalee." Rue, however, only nodded quietly.

Following him again, Rue asked, "…Brother? So, Lenalee's brother is…"

"Ah, right, I forgot to mention… Yeah, both Komui and Lenalee are siblings." The older boy grinned at the fact Rue was astonished at such information. "Why? Find it hard to believe?"

"Yeah… They don't look anything alike…"

"Heh, you'll get used to that. But really, as much as they don't look like it or even act like it, they're blood-related."

"I-I see…"

The tour went relatively quickly. As they went around the Black Order, people noticed the two together and had yet to question the girl's purpose. Then again, even when they were talking about them, Rue ignored what they had to say and paid full attention to the older boy. Lavi was sure to point out the cafeteria, library, and the Science Department before leading her to where her room would be.

" And this… Will be your room." He stopped in front of a closed door, Rue almost bumping into him because of the sudden halt.

She blinked at this, walking to the front of him. Slowly, she turned the doorknob and took in the view. It was a big room… And this would be hers… All hers…

"…I see." She finally said with an appreciated nod, turning to the redhead to meet his eyes. "Thank you, Lavi, for helping me."

"Not a problem!" He nodded back to her, turning around to go back down the hall. "Now, if you're all set… I should get going."

"All right, then. Get some rest. Mmm…"

"Hm? What's wrong?"

"Nah… Just wanted to say goodnight, Lavi." With that, she went into her room.

"Ah. All right, g'night, Rue." As the girl shut her door, he wandered down the hall to get to his own room.

* * *

The following day, Komui and Rue were walking to a certain place that had yet to be pointed out to her…

"Where are we going… Supervisor?" Rue asked calmly, following behind the older male.

"We had not done this yesterday, but… We forgot to check the synchronization rate of your Innocence. New Exorcists need to have that checked." Komui responded, still taking the lead.

"Synchronization?"

"To check how compatible you are with it, how much potential it has… We have to check on it because since the lower the synchronization, the more endangered you are in since it'll be harder to activate your Innocence."

"…I see…" She could only mutter this, clearly not really getting it.

"You'll see when we get over to the person who'll check it out." Looking ahead, he found the person he needed to see. "Good morning, Hevlaska!"

Immediately, she appeared in the room.

"Oh, hello, Komui." She greeted.

"I want you to do a synchronization check. You see…" He nodded to Rue, implying the obvious.

Rue felt stunned when she saw Hevlaska. In her eyes, she wasn't sure how to describe her physical appearance. The only way she could say was that she was a non-human with no eyes and had tentacles that made up her body. Some would say she was a spirit.

"I understand." Hevlaska said dutifully.

"This girl is a new Exorcist, so if you please…"

Grabbing Rue to her, one of Hevlaska's other tentacles had entered her body. The girl was trying not to show any fear, or at least intimidation, whatsoever, but she looked to be squirming in discomfort.

"Don't worry, Rue!" Komui called from below, which she responded with an indignant scowl. Easy for him to say, he's not the one getting checked out by her. "She's not your enemy!"

"He's right," Hevlaska was trying to put her at ease. "I am not your enemy; I just want to check your Innocence."

Though Rue couldn't say anything, after having some skepticism, she had let go of that reluctantly and complied.

The tentacle stayed inside her body and it had taken Hevlaska a long moment to speak again.

"Her synchronization… Is surprisingly low." Although she sounded rather serene, there was a sense that she was taken aback.

"That's…" Komui was off-guard, unsure if he heard right.

Rue could feel at the pit of her stomach that there was bad news about to be announced.

"How low… Are we talking about?" The supervisor spoke his question weakly, feeling himself growing pale.

"25%."

* * *

Hitomi: That's the end of this chapter! Surprised? I told you to wait until you hear about her synchronization rate and this is the result. Very low, isn't it? I wonder how everyone is going to take the news…

I hope Lavi's Deak/Bookman Jr. persona was kept in character. Even though he's already a few months in the Order than Rue has been, he's still like this. So, give him time to develop on his personality too… Haha, I'm worried on whether I kept Komui and Lenalee in character too. As for Hevlaska, both Marlin-Rae and I had to improvise on that.

XD If you noticed, I also improvised on how to describe Hevlaska and the room she was in. It doesn't say what part of the Black Order she's in and I had no other way to describe her appearance! So, I'm saying my apologies in advance for such inconveniences.

Also need to think up of a name for Rue's Innocence. As for her Innocence's power and such… XD Well, I can't say.

Please, read and review!


	5. Shadow of Doubts

Hitomi: Ahaha, back again, guys! Huh… There's been a lack of feedback lately. XD Heh, it must have to do with the Mary Sues and/or people would rather read boy x boy pairings. That's fine with me; then again, it's discouraging sometimes. Thanks to those who have reviewed so far, I'm very happy that you took your time to read this fanfic and enjoy it.

Now then, commencing onto Chapter V!

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

* * *

**Unravel**

**V**

**Shadow of Doubts**

[_How could this have happened?_

_If I'm like this, being this weak; then, I…_

_I have to work harder than ever to get stronger._

_Watch me, please._]

* * *

A deadly, uncomfortable silence hung in the air as the occupants on the platform were tense at the news that had been made clear. Each, perhaps, had their own thought about this predicament. The one who was troubled the most with it clearly had a lot of questions clouding her mind. For the first time, she was also feeling some unknown emotions stirring up inside her… Negative ones, that is.

"T-That's not possible…!" Komui breathed in distress, eyes wide at the results of the synchronization rate. "How…?!"

The younger Lee sibling barged in as she overheard the whole thing, looking upset as well.

"25%?!" Lenalee shouted up to Hevlaska in a shrill voice, unable to believe on what she just listened in. "H-How can that be?!"

"It looks that way," Hevlaska continued on with composure, shaking her head in disbelief. "Although things seem to be bleak now, she may synchronize with her Innocence relatively quickly with practice. She's a very strong-willed child."

The fourteen-year-old Chinese girl craned her neck higher, looking up at Rue. She wanted to see how she was taking the news. Rue had a blank look on her face, not holding any expression whatsoever; however, her blue-gray eyes were showing feelings that neither female were unable to comprehend. It really was like looking into the eyes of a storm.

"Is that so…?" Komui queried; more to himself than everyone else in the room. He still wasn't over his incredulity. "But, I'm rather shocked on how low it is…"

Hearing this, still keeping a vacant expression, the thirteen-year-old assassin involuntarily balled her hands into fists. As the pessimistic sentiments continued on growing inside, her throat was tightening.

"It is the lowest I've seen in a long while…" The female spirit murmured.

_Damn it. Damn it, damn it, damn it!_

Rue's throat constricted; yes, up to the point when Rue couldn't even talk at all. It hurts not talking, but she wouldn't dare reveal what she was feeling to everyone. Every time she breathed, it was like she was suffocating instead. Nothing mattered all around her; all she knew, all she knew was when she heard her low synchronization rate, it seemed to have instilled something inside of her mind.

_Weak, _a voice in her head mocked cruelly. _You're weak yet again, Rafale. Just when you think you're strong enough to handle things, you're still weak in the end. Do you know what this means? If you're pathetic, that means you'll be a burden to everyone around you. You know that I know that I'm right._

_If you can't do your job properly; then, you're better off dead!_

"Do not fear this, child," she could barely make out Hevlaska's voice throughout these dark, doubtful thoughts. She felt one of her tentacles touch the side of her face, as if trying to console her in a motherly way; as if she knew how she was taking this. "You will grow stronger."

Being quiet the whole time, the serious girl could only suffice a nod, nothing more; only nodding because she was still unable to speak. If a god existed, she will **NOT**, **NOT**, show her frustration if said-deity was also in the room. She wasn't going to give up on holding in everything.

Another voice, one very familiar to her, entered into her mind:

_"Not after all of the Hell we went through to get her! This girl's Innocence better have been worth this mission, but I guess I'm wrong because she looks weak—"_

_"I don't even know why you bother with her, rabbit, if she's not worthy of her own Innocence."_

She flinched slightly when recalling those words for that she knew who had spoken them.

That voice… _His _voice.

Kanda.

Kanda Yuu.

Goddamn that self-righteous prick, looking down on her!

Sensing vibes after having not heard her talk for a while, Komui, too, turned to look at Rue. While she was still keeping the neutral façade, he was still feeling concerned for he felt, even a little, that she was masking up her emotions.

"Rue…" Her name escaped in a mumble.

Trying to pull herself together, the much younger girl's head perked up a bit at the mention of her name. Looking down to her chief's face, she could see worry in his eyes. Oh, how she wanted to laugh at that. Not to be mean, of course, but it was just because she felt that she didn't deserve any sympathy of the sort. Why pity on a person who would be weak, no matter how much effort on being stronger were made? It was just useless.

She really disliked pity as well or maybe it's because she wasn't so accustomed to it. That's also one of the reasons she told herself to get strong: so, people wouldn't take her for a weakling.

"…I'm fine, Sir Komui." Rue finally let out in an indifferent voice, hoping that it didn't sound cracked from holding in her reaction for so long.

Lenalee, however, didn't believe this at all.

"Rue…" She began soothingly, looking uneasy. "Don't be too hard on yourself—"

"I said I'm fine, Lenalee." The other girl cut her off with a still apathetic but sharp tone, which she recoiled at. Her fists were still curled up, refusing to break the tension.

"Rue," Hevlaska's voice had risen up slightly, finally setting the girl down onto the platform. "Your future looks bright. I can see you will grow and experience that which you've never experienced before. Feelings and thoughts, within the Order, you will learn many things."

After this, Rue loosened her fists at last, listening to this. When Hevlaska was finished, she turned to the Lee siblings and gave them a mystified look that had replaced the earlier darkness in her eyes.

"Hevlaska not only checks the Innocence synchronization, she also has prophecies for Exorcists." Komui exclaimed cheerfully, a bit thankful that the new Exorcist didn't look so spiteful now. "Her prophecies are usually right too."

"I wonder what this could mean now!" Lenalee said brightly, clasping both of her hands together. "Rue's prophecy sounds interesting…"

_Who knows, _Rue contemplated; though she didn't speak aloud her opinion, it didn't mean she was disinterested about her prediction. _I don't even know what's been in store for me since I've been here. I guess I'll find out._

Loose fists still clenched, she gave Hevlaska a bow for thanks while she started to make her way out, making her way past the Lee siblings.

"I… I think I'll be out for a while." She called to the two over her shoulder, resuming walking again.

"Eh?!" Lenalee cried out, seeing the other girl leaving. "Where are you going off to?!"

"…To train." So, the girl left it at that, not looking back at the other occupants in the room.

"Whether she wants to admit or not," Komui sighed with a sympathizing tone once Rue wasn't within earshot. "She must be really angry that her synchro is so low."

"Yeah, it must be difficult for her to accept. The other day, I listened to a conversation during mealtime in the cafeteria that Kanda provoked her by calling her weak when he and Lavi came back from the mission to retrieve her."

"Really? Maybe that's what's been bothering her too. Also explains why Kanda didn't come in yesterday to report on the mission." He recalled the day before when Lavi had told him what became of the dark blue-haired samurai. "Hmmm…" There was an eerie glint on the Chinese male's glasses.

"Big brother?" His younger sister shot him a suspicious look. "What are you planning?"

He could only grin at her, cryptically saying, "You'll see."

* * *

Going straight outside to the training room, the young assassin was still keeping her neutral face on, practicing a series of punches with the fighting gloves Innocence onto her hands.

_How could it be so low?_

With a grimace, she recalled the day before once again; at the time when she was battling with the Akuma as she still continued on practicing her swift strikes. _Was that why I didn't do much damage?_

_Well, the Innocence was essentially protecting me, but… _Yet again, she remembered Kanda calling her weak, which had the shadows of self-doubt flash into her eyes. _Damn bastard! He must've seen me fighting with them when I invocated the Innocence._

As she continued punching powerful blows in the air, she also used her legs to fight her invisible enemies. After all, when it came to unarmed combat, using both her fists and legs were instinct to her. If only her lower half of her body would help her defeat Akuma; that would be quite beneficial too. Of course, an Exorcist can't hold more than one weapon of Innocence, so that was that.

"I…" She muttered to herself lowly, still practicing her moves. "I hate it. I hate… Being called weak."

* * *

Around 7 PM, Lavi made his way outside of his room. He had been with Bookman for the majority of the day, doing his usual duties.

_Man, _the redhead was disgruntled, rubbing his eyes. _The old man made me read difficult material again. Ah, good thing I finished it, then. I thought I would never get out! _

_But… _He frowned in thought, feeling out-of-place about something. _Been wondering for a while now where the new Exorcist went off to. Rue… I wonder how she's been handling herself so far._

It didn't take him long to find Rue at the training area, seeing her practice alone. She looked to be working hard as she seemingly breathed raggedly, sweat glistening from the side of her face. He also saw that she was, indeed, practicing with her Innocence; the leathery fighting gloves onto her hands.

"…Hey." He tried calling to her, walking over to her location.

Her body, muscles, was screaming with the aching pain she had put herself through, but Rue ignored it, not caring. She still focused on fighting, the undying determination to get stronger burning into her very being. She had to do her best to prove to everyone, mostly herself, that she wasn't useless.

"I'm not going to lose… Not to anyone…" Lavi caught those words coming from her, seeing her alert in her training. It was ironic that she had not noticed the older boy yet or, at least, sensed his presence what with being an assassin and all.

Finally realizing she didn't notice him, he decided to go with the direct approach. He had decided to step into her path, to go in front of her.

Without even thinking fast, she accidentally punched him, which had sent him hurtling to the ground.

She stopped abruptly, realizing that she had connected into flesh and bone. Averting her gaze to the floor, blue-gray met green.

"L-Lavi." She spoke his name with a trace of surprise, her eyes wide.

He laughed a little, wincing in pain from her jab, "Nice to see you too."

"I…" She kept her face blank of expression once more; but, anyone who was observant enough could see her eyes couldn't hide the astonishment of what she had done. "Wait here." With those words, she drifted off to another area of the Order.

A few minutes later, quick on her feet, Rue came back with an icepack in her gloved hands.

"Here." Crouching down to his eye level, she had pressed the cold compress to his face.

As he stood up to his feet, the redhead laughed again, taking the icepack from her tiny hands.

"You didn't have to…" He said softly, his lone eye meeting her face. "I'm fine… Really."

"B-But…" As she got up too, she was struggling within herself of another emotion that was going to overwhelm her. What was it…?

_It's… Guilt, right? _Her brain wracked for a word, a name of this sentiment, recalling of memories in the Underground Society when Riley would express such a feeling. _Is this what it feels like to blame? _

Of course she was guilty. She had accidentally knocked out a comrade in the face and, judging from the force, it must've been pretty hard to knock out teeth or break a nose let alone bruise skin.

"Shhh." He hushed her, putting a finger to her lips to shut her up. After a moment, he noticed the weariness she carried. "You look tired."

"Hmmm? Ah…" She could finally feel the fatigue fusing into her body, a gloved hand immediately flying up to her forehead as a headache started to settle in. "That's right… I didn't keep track of time again… Been training since this morning…"

Alarm surfaced on Lavi's face when he heard this, his turn to be wide-eyed this time.

"You haven't eaten? Or had any water?"

Rue shook her head furiously, strands of strawberry blonde hair flying at the notion, dizziness taking over her.

"I haven't… Ever since I heard my Innocence synchronization rate was low… Or even before that, when Kanda…" Once again, the swordsman's arrogant face surfaced in her mind, her expression growing icy at the memory of him.

"Kanda?" He paused a moment at this, pondering on what he had to do with this. "Come on! Don't take anything he says seriously!"

He had grabbed her by the wrist, his one eye boring into her.

"Come on, Rue, don't let Kanda get to you."

She backed away from his touch, wriggling her wrist out his grasp.

"Kanda, he…" Though maintaining a cool expression, blue-gray eyes were now dark with bitterness. Her voice now was finally giving away the frustration she felt inside throughout the whole day, the tone very icy to cut through anyone. "How can you tell me not to take him seriously when you don't understand at all? He called me weak, Lavi! I… I really hate it when people do that! It's like telling me that, no matter what I do… I'll… I'll never get strong."

_What are the Hell are you doing, Rue?! _Her thoughts were chastising her now. _Of all of the people you decide to speak about this, why Lavi?! Don't burden him any more, you idiot! You should be keeping these feelings to yourself!_

With this outburst, the redhead's eye widened once more.

"Rue…" Now, how could he make this girl free from anxiety, to make her feel better?

_Goddamn it, why do you even care?! _Bookman Jr.'s voice yelled at him, quite furious about this. _You're not supposed to be close to people, you're not supposed to get attached. You're only here to record history and nothing else. You—_

Cutting off his thought process, Lavi continued on with a calm voice, "Kanda says a lot of things. He wants to make you mad… You just ignore it."

"To make me mad…?" Rue tried to consider on this possibility, but her eyes still remained to its harsh state. "He couldn't have been… He called me weak the moment I got to the Order. And this morning… This morning, I found out my synchronization rate with my Innocence is low, low to the point I thought to myself that there's no way I can battle Akuma now."

"That doesn't mean you should push yourself like this," the redhead shot back with a bit of a disciplining tone. "You'll get stronger over time, not at once."

"I know, Lavi. I'm already… Aware of it. But, even so, from the life I lived before up until I went over to the Black Order, I had pushed myself to the limits." She considered wistfully, nostalgic of the past. "And this was in order to not make myself suffer so much, as selfish as that is. Already, it's been a hard habit to break too, so there's nothing I can do—"

Rue felt herself crumple to the ground, her legs giving into the exhaustion. She deactivated her Innocence, low energy was evident now.

"Ugh…" She curled up into a ball, face into her own lap as her forehead touched her knees. "So dizzy… My energy's completely gone… I had no food or water either…" She rocked herself back and forth, as if to ease herself from the hurt she was feeling right now, back resting against the tree.

Startled for a moment because of this, Lavi was trying to think on what to do next.

"Be right back," he called to her as he went off to the cafeteria. Silence surrounded the young girl and she didn't hear much of anything for what seemed like forever.

Hearing footsteps a few minutes later, she didn't look up, but she knew Lavi came back. Indeed, he did, and with him were a water bottle and a bowl of crackers.

"Here," he crouched down in front of her, coaxing her gently. The younger girl looked up at his kind face, her eyes peeking from her knees. Her glance took a quick look at the food and water he got for her.

"You… You didn't have to…" She mumbled, looking rather sheepish, though it was hard to tell.

He only smiled, holding out the contents.

"Eat." He said this simply.

She felt herself holding herself back, uncertain on what she would do. But slowly, she started to uncurl from her position and replenished herself with the food and beverage, eating the crackers in silence.

Lavi sat down beside her, leaning his head against the tree.

"You need to sleep," he reminded her quietly, looking upward at the sky. "Tomorrow… You'll be in so much pain."

Finishing the crackers, Rue replied in between sips of water, "I know. But, it's nothing new to me."

With a shrug, he countered, "Doesn't mean you shouldn't take care of yourself."

"Though, like I told you, it's already a difficult habit to break." She resumed on drinking from the bottle before talking again. "I keep fighting in spite of my limits… All because I want to find my purpose in life…"

He glanced over her with his one eye. When hearing her say that, he felt… In a way, he felt moved. Without thinking, he placed a hand onto her head as if patting it. She looked at him with—for a fleeting moment—bewildered eyes.

"You'll find it soon enough, kid," he was setting her mind at rest, a grin on his face that Rue couldn't decipher the meaning on as he patted her head more before returning his hand to his side. "I'm sure of it."

She nodded a little in response, silent as she's always been. She was trying not to hiss or groan in pain from the way her body was holding up, but she could already feel the aches washing over her. Without even realizing what she was doing or she was too drained to notice, she rested her head on Lavi's shoulder as if to use him as a pillow.

"Is it okay… To rest like this?" Rue whispered in a quiet voice, just letting her head relax on the sturdy, warm shoulder of the older male.

This sent a slight shock to Lavi, surprised of such close contact. It took him a moment to process his thoughts and he was trying hard not to shiver from her touch.

"Y-Yeah," he managed to say at last, taking in a sharp intake of air. "You're tired, Rue. Rest for a while." He spoke with a gentle voice, his smile soft.

"Yeah…" She rubbed her eyes, stifling a yawn. "I do feel quite bushed." She closed her eyes, resting them.

"Not surprised. It's been a long day for you."

"Finding out my synchro rate was 25%…" She recollected the pent up frustration that had, oddly enough, disappeared now. "To be truthful, even though I didn't want to show it… I got really upset about it."

Lavi continued to listen to Rue, marveled at the fact that she was opening up to him like this. Of all of the people she could've opened up to, she happened to speak to him like this; so openly, so honestly. Seeing her training a couple of minutes ago; seeing that resentful, determined look in her eyes as she fought unseen foes, she must've been releasing her masked up anger all the while. She really was a strong one.

"But," she carried on, keeping her head on his shoulder, eyes still shut. "But, I will not give up on it. I will never give up on it."

"That's good," he commented, pausing a moment before he added in, "Just don't push yourself too much."

She just nodded at this, as if to tell him she knew already.

"Hey, Lavi…?" The girl murmured drowsily.

"Mmm?"

"Thanks…" This was the last word that came from her mouth; her breathing tranquil and hushed, Rue had fallen asleep on him.

Lavi didn't reply to this, listening to her gentle breathing as he stayed put on his spot. He wasn't sure on how to take this situation he was currently in and wondered on why he had even decided to stay out with her after catching her out here alone. It wasn't right to him; although he was looking after his teammate, which wasn't all that bad.

Eventually, he had gotten up, very careful not to wake the young girl up. He was tempted to walk off and leave her as she was, but something had led him to carry her to her room. All the while he carried her on his back, her arms were wrapped around his neck and her face buried itself into his back, which caused him to shudder again at the sensation.

After he had placed her gently on her bed, he went out her door and took one last look at her from the doorway.

"Damn it…" Lavi muttered a curse to himself as he silently shut her door, punishing himself verbally for doing such a thing. "The old man's gonna be pissed if he knows I'm growing soft…"

He turned and walked off to his own room, taking in today's memory just as he did countless times before with others. After all, this was the job of a Bookman: record and don't get close to the people around you. If the Bookman elder were to ever find out about this instance, they would have to immediately leave the Black Order and go elsewhere. While Bookman Jr. would be more than happy about that, Lavi was starting to get to him; as in starting to really get to him.

And he wasn't sure what to think.

In her room, Rue was fast asleep, burying herself in the thick blankets for that she was cold. However, as she continued on slumbering, a thought sneaked into her mind while she snuggled her head into a pillow.

_Lavi… Is so warm…

* * *

_

Hitomi: Done! And wow, this was the longest chapter I've ever written so far! Well, I did want to take my time writing this; especially since Rue is unable to express her feelings well, I had to show it through her actions. Even though she doesn't know how to smile, laugh, cry, or get angry (by that, I mean being short-tempered like Kanda), her emotions are still expressed through her eyes.

*evil grin* And you're wondering what Komui's planning, am I right? Nope! I'm not telling you that yet, you'll have to wait until the next chapter. All I can tell you is… XD It'll be disastrously hilarious because of such unexpected circumstances. You'll see, hehehe.

And hah, it was about time I wrote something of Lavi x Rue fluff. Really, I melted when writing the exchange between them. But, like I told you, Lavi's Bookman priority is still there, so I still need to develop his personality. And as I've said countless times before, Lavi and Rue are not going to be a couple until way later on; by that, I mean when Allen is already in the Black Order. I want to develop their relationship slowly.

Of course, Rue needs to develop relationships with others and change because of that. So, I'll be progressing on that and her Innocence powers too. I'm still not telling you what they are either!

See you later! Please, read and review!


	6. Sibling Rivalry

Hitomi: o_o Holy crap, influx of reviews?! *falls over* Really… Thank you very much, guys! That really cheered me up!

Now then… *grins* Chapter VI!

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

* * *

**Unravel**

**VI**

**Sibling Rivalry**

[_We are rivals who refuse to lose to one another,_

_Struggling in a dogfight on wanting to win._

_Within our strong dislike is also the attitude of_

_Bickering siblings._]

* * *

"Lavi!" Lenalee's voice called into the halls as she ran over to catch up to him and pulled the older boy's arm back, trying to stop him from doing the inevitable. "Whatever you do, don't wake Rue up!"

"…How come?" Though thrown off by such a warning, the mischief in Lavi took over completely as he was smirking. "She's been asleep for far too long! It's almost noon~"

"I'm serious! When Komui tried to wake her up…" She began to recall the day before, shuddering from the results. The chief tried to wake her up early at ungodly morning hours, but he had paid the price for that. The younger Lee sibling could still hear the hysterical cries of her older brother at the back of her mind when the consequences unfolded. "What a disaster."

Pulling away from her, the redhead continued on down the hall, reassuring her with, "What's the worst that can happen? It'll be fine!"

While she was making small protests and attempted to get him away from Rue's room as much as possible, he had waved her off. Finally, they were right where he wanted to be and it was time to do this.

"Ohhh Rue! Time to wake up!" Lavi called cheerfully as he had barged through the door of the new Exorcist. Talk about making a dynamic entry.

A quick shuffle of blankets and pillows in the room, there was no doubt that Rue was fast. The moment Lavi had decided to wake her up, nothing but a dark blur could be seen. With blankets and pillows thrown off the bed, the shadow had gone off the furniture and tackled the redhead with full force.

"SEE?! I TRIED TO WARN YOU!" Lenalee yelped in surprise, aghast on what had taken place.

Though the redhead was smiling his usual smile, that didn't mean he was unfazed of the situation at hand.

"…Good… Morning…?" He managed to croak out awkwardly (maybe quite anxious, the poor thing), feeling a little blood trickling down his neck as the cold dagger was poised at his Adam's apple. He gazed into those blue-gray eyes and was uncertain on his thoughts as they held a strong killing intent that he hadn't seen there before when he first met her.

_Perhaps, this was what Kanda was glaring at her about during the train ride… _He thought at the back of his mind, afraid to move.

For a moment, the assassin stared hard at him with that emotionless stare. But, somehow, she had managed to snap out of it from the moment she blinked. The killing intent dissolved without a trace, disorientation and a bit of grogginess taking over.

"Oh… Morning, Lavi." Rue spoke softly as she finally got off him, the dagger still in her hand. Looking over to the horrified female that accompanied him, she also greeted her. "Good morning to you too, Lenalee."

"Are you serious?!" The other female yelled, stunned on the mood changes of the girl.

Lavi sat up, rubbing his neck, knowing that the little girl that was on him before didn't cut deep at his skin. He was quite taken aback, however, on how Rue was unpredictable.

"It's fine, Lenalee," he was trying to restore confidence to his companion. "Really."

"No, it's not!" She fussed in return as she looked at the younger female before her, unsure on what to feel. "Rue, you… Y-You really shouldn't be doing that…"

"Really?" Rue questioned as she looked at her dagger warily. "But, it's been a part of me for so long that… Ahhh…" She trailed off, looking deep in thought.

The three stayed in silence, the other two exchanging glances as they were trying to decipher on what the new Exorcist could be thinking at this moment. The girl's blue-gray eyes hardened as she could only recall on her past, reflecting all of the days she could remember on what her life was. And because of this, she felt she was unworthy of being an Exorcist due to her circumstances.

Her eyes flicked to the other two, the cynical look gone.

"I'm sorry," she began in a calm voice, which had them look at her. "If I do this again, it's… Well, it's out of reflex. I can't undo them since they've been a part of me for so long. So, I say my apologies."

Knowing that she didn't know any better, Lavi nodded, smiling again.

"I understand."

"I see…" Lenalee murmured sadly, her eyes softening for that she felt sorry for her. "Sorry for you yelling at you earlier… I was just surprised on how you could something like this. Whatever life you led, it must've been difficult…"

"It's fine," the thirteen-year-old continued on with that unruffled tone, brushing off any sympathy the older girl held for her as she sheathed her dagger. "As long as I'm alive, I've nothing to be afraid about."

Hearing this, the feeling from last night resurfacing again as the redhead looked at her once more. He felt encouraged when hearing her say this and he knew that she was honest about it.

"You're a strong kid," he remarked carefully, a trace of admiration there. "I like that."

"Rue…" Lenalee said only this, her awe evident.

"Well…" Her expression seemed to have changed. The two didn't see a smile on the assassin's face, but there was a light in her eyes. "I do need to find my purpose, after all."

When he turned to leave, Lavi looked back at her one last time before going off to the cafeteria and replied, "I know you will."

"Wait up, Lavi!" The Chinese girl yelled across the hall, which Lavi gave a half-wave in response without looking back, making sure to let her know that he had heard her. Before catching up to him, she turned to Rue to let her know something. "Oh yeah, Rue… Komui wants to see you… I'm not sure why, but I think it may have to do with…" She trailed off.

"Ah, understandable," the other girl nodded, knowing this may be about her low synchronization rate. "All right, I'll drop into the office in a moment."

"All right, then. Tell me how it goes!" As she said this, she ran down the hall to catch up to Lavi.

"I wonder what this could be about now…" Rue pondered under her breath as she went off to the command post.

* * *

"Rue, I need to talk to you!" Komui remarked the moment the door swung open.

Coming in, the girl saluted him, asking seriously, "What is it, Supervisor?"

"Well, due to your low synchronization of your Innocence, you may need a little help on your training. So…" He smiled, seeing the girl looking confused. "You'll be trained under a General for a while until your synchronization is high enough for combat."

"Who… Who is it?"

"I would like you to meet General Froi Tiedoll." Komui initiated to Rue with a smile.

Right on time, an older man appeared into the room and held out a hand to her. He had curly gray hair that looked like a mop on his head and a thick mustache, wisps of hair on his chin and jaw line implying that he has a beard. Dark, beady eyes were behind thick red glasses. Though he may look like this, he still had an Exorcist uniform on him.

"Hello, my dear!" He greeted her with a smile.

"Mmm…" With a curt nod, she held out her own and grasped his hand, giving a handshake.

"General," the director continued on, watching on how the two interacted with each other. "This is the new Exorcist, Rue."

"Rue?" The older man's smile widened. "French?"

"Well… Half-French, anyway."

After letting go of his hand, Rue felt a slight twitch. She was unsure on whether to question the General on this fact or be offended.

"That is wonderful, France is my homeland as well!" He cried out cheerfully, looking joyous and overly excited. "You will be all the more welcome in my family. Oh, to finally have a daughter! How wonderful~"

_Wait… WHAT?! _As these thoughts passed Rue's mind, she was speechless. When she heard that the General called her a daughter, she wasn't sure on what to think or say.

"A daughter at last, Tiedoll…" Komui snickered, trying to disguise it as a coughing fit. Of course, he felt a heavy stare as he saw that Rue was glaring at him. "…Shutting up now." He whimpered, going silent.

"Don't worry, my dear." The enthusiastic man put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her, smiling kindly. While she may have jerked a little from his tap, she didn't mind. "Don't ever hesitate to come to me about anything!"

She only nodded uncertainly, unsure on what to think or feel.

Still smiling with his hand off her shoulder, the General turned to look at her face and asked, "Are you ready to begin your training?"

She nodded vigorously, determination awakening in her eyes like blue fire.

"Yes, of course."

"Follow me." Tiedoll turned again to go out the door and lead the way. As she followed him, she gave Komui an apprehensive look again on the way out, which he returned with a little smile as if to tell her that she'll be fine.

* * *

After walking outside of the command post, the two went down on their way outside to the training room. Still walking, Tiedoll looked around as if searching for someone. Going deeper into the training room, he finally found the person he wanted to see, who was training in another area with several trees surrounding.

"Oh, Kanda~" Tiedoll called in a singsong voice, happy once more. On the other hand, Rue felt horror-struck, trying not to yell in surprise as she composed herself under a cool expression. Not getting the meaning of this, her blood was boiling with anger just at the sight of the samurai.

"What is it, General?" Kanda inquired gruffly, slashing the air with Mugen while he was blindfolded, his back turned to them.

"I have a wonderful surprise for you!"

"Hmmm?" The older boy stopped as he got the blindfold off his eyes, turning around. "What is it that you're so eager about now—"

Seeing the short strawberry blonde hair and a familiar set of blue-gray eyes, there wasn't any denial of his mixed surprise and annoyance settling in as well.

"You, the boyish-looking girl!" Kanda spat, sending a glare to Rue.

"What a surprise…" She drawled, glaring back. "The temperamental girly-looking boy."

"General, what's going on?!"

Clearly, this was a bombshell to the General with the way they interacted with each other. To him, that could only mean one thing.

"So… You two already know each other?"

The answer he got was the glowers the two teenagers were sending to one another.

"Well. This will make things easier! Yuu, meet your new teammate!"

"WHAT?!" Kanda demanded, clearly protesting of this arrangement.

"You cannot be serious." The girl muttered sullenly, twitching while she was at it, not so delighted about this either.

"No way! Why do I have to…?! ARGH!!!" In other words, the boy was frustrated to wit's end on this.

"Believe me, I don't want to even be in the same place as you." She glared at him coldly. "So, shut up about it."

"Are you telling me to keep my mouth shut?!" He whirled in her direction, scowling more. "Keep in mind that I am older than you, LITTLE BOY!"

While she still kept an unperturbed expression, fury was burning in her blood at this remark.

"Age doesn't matter since you're acting like a child right now, OLD HAG."

"Now… Children, let's not fight." General Tiedoll finally spoke up, a smile on his face.

"ARGH! I AM NOT A CHILD!"

"General…!"

* * *

"Excellent," Komui cackled gleefully as he was watching this from his office window, his glasses gleaming. "Not only will this help Rue in her training, but it'll help build up a relationship between her and Kanda!"

Facepalming, Lenalee groaned, "So, that's what you were planning yesterday… Brother, if they found out you set this up, you're gonna die…"

"Seriously, Supervisor." With spiky dirty blonde hair and blue eyes, Squad Leader and Komui's assistant Reever Wenham was also watching the situation as he delivered Komui his papers. "You're digging up your own grave."

"Not to worry!" He responded happily, a grin on his face. "I'm sure they won't find out soon~"

"And when they do, you are a dead man…" Both of them mumbled under their breaths.

Ignoring them, he still had a carefree smile on his face, watching from the window as both Kanda and Rue began to argue and General Tiedoll was trying to calm them down.

"This'll be entertaining to watch…"

* * *

From the library, Lavi was also seeing this unfold, trying hard not to chuckle as he continued on reading.

"What's all of the racket outside?" An elderly voice rasped, clearly hearing the whole thing as well.

"From what it looks like, Gramps, the new Exorcist seems to be assigned under General Tiedoll for training." Keeping his head buried in his book, he started to grin widely. "Which makes Kanda her teammate. Something tells me this isn't going to work out well…"

"Really now?" Bookman asked in mild interest, looking outside too. "So, that's the new Exorcist, huh? What did you say her name was? Is that really a female we're talking about?"

"Rue," the younger male replied, putting down his book. "Rue Marucut. And yeah, she doesn't look like it, but… I assure you, Old Man Panda, she's a girl—" Here, he got smacked with a book for what he had just called him.

"Don't call me a panda!" Bookman hissed, hitting his grandson on the head again.

"Sorry!" The boy shielded himself from the attack.

"Rue Marucut…" The old man mumbled as he stopped his hits, darting his eyes to the girl who was ready hit Kanda. "Lavi… You know your objective here in the Order. So, remember not to break the Bookman code."

With seriousness, the redhead watched the trio outside, replying with, "…I know, Gramps."

* * *

Finally being the peacemaker, General Tiedoll was between his two pupils.

"Now, let's all take a deep breath…" He looked between his kids, who were really not taking the situation well at all. They didn't respond to their teacher, they were just focused on glaring at each other as if to see who would back down first.

After that moment of silence, the General grinned nervously as he suggested, "How about you two train together?"

"Are you kidding me?!" Kanda snarled, pointing at her with a sheathed Mugen. " After hearing her Innocence synchronization being so low?!"

How he knew this, Rue didn't know, but she was quite ready to punch him right on the spot for pointing out such a weakness. However, she restrained her arms from going at it, trying to keep her impulses under control.

"That's why she needs to train." General Tiedoll pointed this out, looking serious this time, which made the younger boy gaze up. "Under you, I'm sure she'll achieve 100% at a much faster rate."

"Tch!" How troublesome, being assigned to train a girl who has been deemed worthless in his eyes because of her Innocence. Nonetheless, he turned to Rue with an intimidating glare, saying sternly, "All right, shorty, listen up! You will train under me… And I will warn you right now, I will not go easy." At this, he had unsheathed Mugen, poised to strike.

"That's fine," she answered back with a neutral voice, not caring of what he had said of her height, her glare now dangerous. "Bring it on, then, punk."

Shaking his head, General Tiedoll heaved a sigh as he walked off to the side, supervising them.

"Please. Behave." This was all he said while he anticipated on the skirmish that would open out.

With his forefinger and middle finger, Kanda placed them on the metal and swept them across his blade, the katana now giving off an ominous glow as he did so.

Likewise, Rue held her hands out in front of her, closing her eyes. The Innocence's essence was racing through her body now, beginning to form into the fighting gloves. Once they formed, they were glowing as well.

_Mugen…_

_Deathtrap, Lifeline…_

In fighting stances, the two ran up to each other simultaneously to dish out powerful blows.

Now, it begins.

_INNOCENCE, ACTIVATE!!!

* * *

_

Hitomi: And done with another chapter! XD I told you to expect what Komui's planning and this is what happened. Now that Rue is under General Tiedoll's eye AND being trained under Kanda, what is she going to do?!

Had to put in Reever and Bookman in since I wanted to introduce them in the fic. Since Lavi will eventually be with Rue, it was necessary to introduce Bookman as he'll constantly remind Lavi of Bookman duties and, as you all know, try to get him to not care about the Order or Rue at all.

XD And now, you all know NEVER to disturb Rue from her sleep. EVER.

And I finally figured out the name of Rue's gloves. The black glove is called Deathtrap and the white glove is called Lifeline.

Look forward to the next chapter~ *grin* Because this is where the first training session will begin. It's been too long since writing an action scene like this, so I'll do my best. Let's see how this is going to turn out…


	7. Aftermath

Hitomi: Thank you for the reviews once again! I'm sorry I haven't updated fast like I usually do. School just started for me in the Philippines and the schedule's tight, so I might not be able to go into Unravel fast like I did before. I've also a feeling that writer's block is lurking somewhere and ready to kick my ass again. Nonetheless, I'm still going to write this, so don't worry about it.

I haven't logged in online lately due to Internet problems as well. And hehe… My birthday already passed too.

So, let's see how this chapter will turn out…

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

* * *

She narrowly dodged, in spite of her reflexes, the katana's spell once it was summoned. From this training session, she already bore wounds all over her flesh because of the weapon's wielder and perspiration was evident. While she had managed to launch a blow or two at her opponent, the physical power in her Innocence was not enough to give any damage. At least she didn't dodge all of the time; she had sustained on bearing the strength of the beatings, which was why she endured lacerations all over.

He was slowly growing restless because of her constant evasion, but he did approve on her still practicing with her Innocence while fighting him. Not only that, he also gave a flicker of silent agreement when she preferred not to duck; rather, he was a little glad—though, unwilling to admit it—that she was shielding herself with her own body and taking his attacks into her. As she made effort to give him injury, it was insufficient due to the low synchronization rate; this was a surprise since the gloves must've felt heavy on her hands and that should've boosted the physical strength she had even before she joined the Black Order.

Apparently, that was not the case.

The onlookers watched the battle keenly, tensing time to time as they locked their eyes on what laid before them. The teacher was watching nearby as his students were doing all of their best to duke it out; seeing the boy's flawless technique while the girl struggled, but was still willing to do her best. The director, his younger sibling, and his assistant were silently gazing; seeing the boy's brutality being a big disadvantage to the girl as he's in sync with his Innocence more than she is, but the girl's body language gave away that she was relentless with her unending willpower. The elder and his grandson surveyed the spectacle with calculated eyes; perhaps, they knew the ending already.

_Yuu, don't go overboard. I don't mean to say not to go easy on her, but don't overdo it. _Lavi contemplated gravely, his one green eye studying the sight. He almost made a face as a flash of Mugen came down onto the new Exorcist, which she had blocked with her arm and, thus, earning another cut there. It was rather unnerving not seeing her reaction as the blade sunk into her limb.

_Rue… _He saw her blue-gray eyes still holding that burning determination; the overwhelming desire to win against Kanda at all costs. _You're not going to give up… Are you?_

To answer his own question, he had given himself a mental kick because, once again, Deak and the other personalities were lecturing him continuously of Bookman duties.

* * *

**Unravel**

**VII**

**Aftermath**

[_What an inevitable result._

_I'm ready to accept my punishment_

_When failure is the outcome._]

* * *

Once more, Kanda slashed forcefully with Mugen, sending Rue flying in the air. It wasn't the first time he did it; countless times, he had already done it. The dominant force had dented some tree trunks here and there because of the strong impact. Seeing her soar yet again, he scoffed with displeasure due to her being such a lightweight.

She refused on letting her back slam onto a tree to cushion herself again, so Rue formed an idea in her head. When she looked back, sure enough, she was going to crash into another tree trunk. She maneuvered her body to let her legs take the brunt of it.

The majority noticed this, most of them thinking the same thought:

_Are you crazy?! Your legs are going to get hurt if you do that!_

Lavi, however, considered otherwise. Maybe, he knew what she was going to do.

_If she does that… Then, that means…!_

As planned, she had let her legs contact the sturdy wood of the trunk. Without a moment to lose, while her legs were bent, she pushed herself upwards and away. This had sent her hurtling forward unlike before. Flying straight towards the older boy, Rue had given herself the opportunity to twist her body, giving her opponent a sharp, swift kick to the face. While she was at it, she beat his face in at the same spot again, only she used her gloved fist this time.

Staggering, stunned, Kanda used her setting down to his benefit by beckoning First Illusion: Hell's Insects. Not having any time to think of anything else, she shielded herself with her arms in an x formation as the spell scorched her skin. Though pain had been nothing to her, that didn't mean she hadn't felt it. Oh, she already felt it blazing all over her body and she was trying to block the sensation out with all of her might.

Releasing the shield she had formed, she panted shallowly as she gave a dark glower to the boy right in front of her. While he may have not taken as much wounds like his female opponent, he was taking in air as if he had forgotten to breathe during all of this. Also, because of the kick and the punch he had gotten from her, blood was dripping from the corner of his lips while the cheek was bruised. He wiped the metallic tasting liquid away with his hand, his eyes giving her a glare too.

Neither person had moved, their eyes staring each other down, testing one another to give up. One of them had to crumble, but neither Exorcist refused to relinquish; hoping one or the other in their perspective would lose.

It was unavoidable for Rue to keep it up, though. Her knees had finally given way, the pain her body held consuming all around. As she plummeted to the ground, the fingerless gloves disappeared into thin air, the Innocence deactivated. Her eyes met green; then, it faded into black.

* * *

_I can't move. Everything's sore, everything hurts all over. This is nothing compared to the past, but it's still painful to undergo._

_How shameful for you to going down like that, Rafale. You know what happens when you get crushed by another person. You'll get rebuked for being weak as you have countless times before. As long as you're useless, you'll never be worthy of anything. _

_ Shut up… Please, shut up. I don't need to put up with your bullshit._

_ But, it's been implanted in you for so long, hasn't it? Just wait… You WILL get punished by your superiors for it. Don't think these people are any different; don't think they'll let you off the hook. If you continue to be inferior, you'll be sorry._

_ When the supposed conversation had ended, there were things that the girl couldn't forget. A sickening feeling arose in her as recollections began to spill over. They involved sharp, cracking sounds, accompanied red flashes, and the splash of blood. Familiar pain began to sear from her back and she knew fully well why this was happening. How tormenting to relive this and all because she had lost to her "enemy."_

_ The last thing she heard was …_

_ "Stop it! She hasn't done anything wrong at all, so leave her alone!"_

_ This invoked an argument that was difficult to make out; by then, it ended with a familiar slashing sound._

_ Now, all was quiet._

* * *

She jerked her body upright with an inaudible gasp after that, forgetting the soreness that had followed. Cold sweat was falling from her face as messy strawberry blonde hair matted on her forehead. Breathing harshly, blue-gray eyes held a dark awareness to what she had recalled in her unconscious state. The dull ache in her back grew, throbbing with worse pain than anywhere else.

Her body started to quiver uncontrollably and she was doing all she could to minimize it.

"Just a dream… Just a dream, that's all…" Rue consoled herself with a shaky undertone, fisting the blankets surrounding her tightly.

Trying to keep her mind off the nightmare, she scanned the unfamiliar territory she was in. It occurred to her that she was not only occupying a new bed, but her clothes were changed as well. She was in nothing but a thin nightgown now, numerous bandages were covering up her torso because of incalculable gashes all over. She saw women in different uniform and they were tending to other Exorcists who came back from missions.

_I'm guessing that this… Is the infirmary. _She concluded, silently observing her surroundings.

Rapid knocking came from the door and the Head Nurse went off to answer it.

"Is she awake?" A recognizable voice asked worriedly from outside.

The Head Nurse looked in Rue's direction and turned back to the visitor, nodding silently. Going out of the way, she opened the door fully and in came an anxious Komui. Finding an empty chair near her bedside, he decided to have a seat before speaking.

"Are you all right, Rue?" The supervisor asked, obviously fretting about earlier. "We knew you were tired from training, but we didn't expect you to do something like that! If you don't remember, you fainted…"

Rue only nodded to answer him, her eyes holding an unknown expression as the back ache was starting to die down.

"Why didn't you say anything? If you were exhausted, you could've told Kanda or General Tiedoll. You didn't have to push yourself like that."

"Because… I didn't want to lose, Sir."

This perplexed him, so he allowed her to continue her explanation.

"I didn't want to lose… To Kanda, no matter what, and that's because he's my rival." She spoke in a grim voice. "I hate losing. I hate losing so much; every time I show my weakness, I…"

"Rue?"

"I…" The sentence hung in the air and she contemplated on what she should say next. But then, her next sentence came out so softly that Komui almost didn't catch it. "Are you… Going to punish me?"

"What?" His eyes widened, his bewilderment increasing from the question asked.

"Are you or General Tiedoll going to punish me? For losing? If you are… Do as you see fit."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing from Rue. He looked at her carefully and saw that her head was bowed, eyes looking down in her lap. Her eyes became murky just like the day before, only there were traces of resignation and expectancy. She was bracing herself on getting disciplined.

"You're not going to get punished." Komui retorted gently, face softening as he was patting her head. "Why would General Tiedoll or I do something like that?"

"Sir?" She looked up at him with now wide eyes of her own, her own puzzlement forming as she had not expected this.

"Rue… You did your best against Kanda, despite your weak synchronization rate. There's nothing wrong with losing nor is it to be ashamed of. Certainly, it's not worth getting a sentence over either!"

"But, Sir!" Rue argued. "We both can't deny that I'm weak! I'm not good enough with my Innocence nor am I powerful enough to hurt Akuma and, because of that, I can't go out on missions! What good am I to the Black Order if I—"

"You are as important as every Exorcist we have gathered here in the Order." He responded sincerely, cutting her off. "Don't worry… You'll get stronger, I assure you. Just… Keep on working hard, okay?"

"Sir—"

"Promise me that you'll keep doing your best, no matter how difficult it gets."

"…I promise, Sir Komui." She pledged earnestly, still in awe on how she wasn't going to get reprimanded for being weak.

"Good. Now, I've to go back to work," he got up from the chair, patting her head one last time with a smile. "But I'm sure Lenalee and the others will stop by here to check on you. And remember what I told you, Rue." Leaving the last sentence at that, he turned away and walked out of the medical wing.

Indeed, he was right because the moment he went out, Lenalee and Reever came in. After a brief introduction between the new Exorcist and the Squad Leader, aside from visiting, Lenalee came in for another reason.

"Well, I figured you didn't eat, so I told Jerry to make you food. Reever and I thought you were hungry, so…" Her hand gestured to the table at the right of Rue's bedside.

The girl's blue-gray eyes widened once more at the food that settled onto the table. There was a lot on there: meat dumplings, pasta carbonara, sinigang, sisig, chocolate mousse, crepes, lobster bisque, and ratatouille. A tall glass of orange juice was also on the table.

"Wow…" Rue mumbled, surprised that these two got so much food for her.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Reever grinned, amused on how she seemed to be overwhelmed. "Go ahead and eat! Trust me, Jerry's cooking is delicious!"

It was so hard for Rue to pick on what she should eat first; eventually, she got around to it. Once she took her first bite in the food, her eyes lit up.

"How is it?" Lenalee checked on her, smiling with anticipation. "Is it good?"

The other female could only nod furiously as she started to wolf down the food, which caused the other two to laugh. As she ate, she would watch the two conversing, occasionally interacting with them. Of course, she would just nod because she would be eating or she would say something time to time in spite of the fact it would be a one word answer.

When it was time for them to go, Rue bobbed her head to both Lenalee and Reever. However, there was one thing she said to them.

"Thank you." She called to them quietly; her face neutral, but her eyes still lit. Both of them smiled in appreciation and they went out.

Some time later, outside of the infirmary, an angry voice ripped through the air. This was to be likely, but Rue never thought the visit from this person would ever happen.

"Why the Hell do I have to apologize?!" Sure enough, she knew that voice.

"Because you were her opponent. I know both of you didn't want to go easy on each other, but you should've checked up on her if she was tired." A calm one responded to this. "She is your teammate, after all."

"Hn, you make it sound like I should be concerned for her."

"You should be!"

The door burst open and in came a calm General Tiedoll and a pissed off Kanda, who was dragged in with the general and by the ear, no less. How embarrassing for him.

"As teammates and my 'children,' you should know that you're going to look out for each other. So, Yuu, I want you to apologize to your 'younger sister.'" Tiedoll said firmly, giving Kanda a stern look as he released his ear.

"I'm telling you, I'm not saying sorry to her!"

"You don't need to," the girl spat venomously, causing both of them to look up. Her eyes were hard with a cold glare in them. "The last thing I want is a pathetic excuse because I know you don't mean it."

"Damn right I don't." Kanda confirmed truthfully, shooting a glower back at her. "Why do I have to say sorry when it's your damn fault you're weak with your Innocence?"

"…Excuse me?" While still in pain, the urge to punch him was strong.

"You heard me! You're weak and that's your problem, not mine. There's no way you can call yourself an Exorcist if you're going to be a nuisance like this."

"How does that even work? That's quite unfair as you've had your Innocence for a long time and have been in the Order at a young age!"

"Even so, it should've been clear why Akuma were in France! You've seen them before and even ran across them more than once! Again, that was supposed to be obvious!"

Tiedoll groaned in woe, rubbing his temples to calm himself as he witnessed, once again, his two pupils going at each other's throats. However, an unforeseen development from his "daughter" caused him to be cautious on never making her angry.

"For your information, I wasn't even aware I had Innocence in the first place and I didn't know that was the reason why Akuma were attacking my home. Plus, if I knew I had Innocence, I would've trained myself to the brink until my synchronization rate was high. Since I recently activated it, of course it's going to be weak!" Snapping at him in an impatient, icy voice, Rue was still trying to suppress the anger that was threatening to unleash itself. Nonetheless, this was the first time that both Tiedoll and Kanda have ever seen her so furious to the point she was making a tirade, even though she wasn't short tempered. "Goddamn it, Kanda, if you don't stop being an asshole, I'm going to take Mugen and shove it right up your—"

"What's going on here?" Bookman's hoarse voice called out as he and Lavi came into the infirmary. Rue calmed down slightly at the sight of the lanky teen, but she was still ready to shoot insults at her teammate.

"Kanda and Rue are arguing again." Tiedoll sighed, still rubbing his temples as a headache pulsed.

"Yuu…" Lavi scowled in disapproval to the other young male. "I told you to be nice, didn't I? And now, you're picking on her while she's in here, licking her wounds, which you inflicted during your training. That's really a low blow…"

"The last thing I want is a lecture from you too, stupid rabbit!" Kanda barked crossly to the redhead.

"I'm not giving you a lecture, all I'm asking is for you two to get along. Yuu, don't pick constantly on Rue's flaws. You have to remember you were once like her, so enough with the superiority complex, thanks. Rue, I already told you not to take Kanda seriously on what he says. Just ignore his rudeness and keep working hard. Okay?" He ended this with a smile.

Both colleagues shot daggers at each other; then, turning away to the opposite direction, so they don't have to look at each other anymore. Kanda emitted a low growl from his throat and stomped off to go back to his room. General Tiedoll exhaled noisily yet again, giving Rue an apologetic face and she nodded to him in response, as he departed to follow his "son."

Lavi and Bookman also sighed, shaking their heads.

"Anyway," Lavi began, clearing his throat. "Rue, this is my grandfather, Bookman."

"It's nice to meet you, Miss Rue." Bookman remarked, a slight smile on his face.

The girl waggled her head faintly, giving the elderly man a handshake in spite of her body aches.

"However," the male teen continued, grinning playfully. "If you want, you can also call him Old Man Panda—"

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me a panda?!" The old man snarled, beating his grandson up to oblivion.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

Rue watched this exchange, feeling her rage dissipate while it was replaced with an unknown sentiment. It tickled her on the inside and it seemed to be a positive feeling. While she didn't smile about it, her eyes were aglow all over again with emotions that she didn't understand.

_I've seen this emotion too, with Riley expressing it. _She thought at the back of her head, watching Bookman give Lavi a good punch on top of his head. _Is this what he calls amusement? I think it might be…_

"Anyway, it's getting late." Bookman stopped suddenly, composing himself from inflicting any more damage to his grandson. "You should go rest, Miss Rue. Lavi, we're going back to our room."

"All right," the redhead nodded, rubbing his head from the injuries he received as he looked intently at Rue's face. "We're going, okay?"

"Okay…" She murmured softly, the positive feeling gone and being replaced by another. This one seemed to be negative again. Though she kept her face blank of expression perfectly, her eyes wavered with something clearly there. What it was, neither she nor Lavi could tell and the boy couldn't confirm on whether he had imagined it or not as she pressed her face into her pillow.

"Good night, Bookman, Lavi." She buried herself in blankets, her face out of sight while her strawberry blonde hair could only be seen.

As the old man left the medical center, the redhead remained behind, looking hesitant to leave.

_Don't you dare get attached! _Deak roared inside his mind, not liking the reluctance. _What are you waiting for?! If you don't hurry, the old man will do the usual if he finds out you're growing lenient!_

While this was true, he couldn't go without feeling so bothered, even though he wasn't supposed to be concerned. What was that look Rue had in her eyes just moments ago?

_Damn it… _Lavi cursed in his head, disputing with himself, Deak, and the other personas he had long ago. _I REALLY should get going. Stop it right now… She doesn't concern you. Whatever you do, Lavi, don't get yourself too involved here. You already know where your obligations lie._

"G'night, Rue…" He responded out of politeness; though, he was holding back the temptation to ruffle her hair as if to silently ease her that everything will be all right.

Ignoring the feeling of foreboding, the redhead up and left, closing the door without a sound.

As soon as Lavi left, Rue's sleep tossed into turmoil with the past haunting her.

* * *

Hitomi: Damn, I wrote a lot again, eheh. A lot happened in this chapter, didn't it? Well, I wanted Rue to interact with the other characters too as I do need her to develop her personality by building relationships with others. Even though she's still cold and detached, she'll slowly get what it's like to be in the Order.

I tried to write the action scene as best as I could as I'm not really that good at it. It's been so long too since writing such a scene. Of course, we all knew Kanda was going to win because he has the upper hand. Rue didn't take it well, though, as you saw in her conversation with Komui.

The nightmare you saw Rue going through was a very small glimpse of her past. I'm still trying to develop her past life myself as I'm not sure what her past was like other than the fact that she has no memories of her parents except for a few personal belongings (which I will reveal sooner or later). In her convo with Komui, you read that she asked him to punish her because of being weak. That's because it's linked to the nightmare she dreamt of. Can't say just yet what it's about, though.

The dishes Lenalee and Reever delivered to Rue were mostly French and Filipino cuisine (I said most because the carbonara and the meat buns are exceptions).

And, come on, I needed to keep Lavi in character due to Bookman obligations. Plus, if he had asked the old man to let him accompany Rue for a little while longer, I don't think he would've appreciated it. That was why I needed him to leave her alone in the end, even though he sensed something wrong with her.

Be seeing you next chapter! Please, read and review!


	8. Progress

Hitomi: Thank you all who have reviewed and put this on favorite story as well as story alert! Seriously… XD I still thought people would think this is boring because you feel there's no plot. *SHOT* But, I'm doing all of my best on this fic, so I'll keep working hard.

Besides… I want to keep working on Rue's development as an Exorcist and as a person too.

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

* * *

**Unravel**

**VIII**

**Progress**

[_Slowly, I can feel things I haven't felt before._

_I don't understand them._]

* * *

It had been two months since Rue had been in the Black Order. It was December, snow falling outside. The leaves on the trees had already fallen off completely while the grass had withered and gone brown. That didn't stop the Exorcists, though, as they still had work to do.

From the time Rue had been here, things still seemed awkward to her with the way she acted with everyone in the Black Order. People were still talking about her, still questioning her gender, but she didn't give second thoughts to that because she obviously doesn't care. Her respect grew for Komui each day because of the way he cared for the Exorcists. After that incident in the infirmary, that was when she saw him in a different light. Though that was when her self-consciousness started to open little by little, she still looked up to him all the same.

"Rue!" Komui came into her room, barging in. "It's time to begin your t—"

Startled and looking up from reading a peculiar book in her lap, the thirteen-year-old still hadn't quashed certain habits when being in the Order. The victims who would fall to such things would be Komui and Lavi; Lavi especially for he was not one to know the meaning of the word, privacy. There had been countless incidents when he would make close calls to his death because of his habit of constantly popping out of nowhere.

Without warning and with lightning speed, she already had a dagger at the director's throat. As always, she kept a straight face, eyes filled with murderous intentions.

"T-Training?!" He whimpered, petrified with fear.

Of course, when he was like this, she could only describe him as pitiful.

"No matter how much I warn you on trying not to wake Rue up or not to scare her so easily, big brother, you still don't listen." Lenalee chided exasperatedly; moreso when her older brother clung to her leg for protection and crying desperately, which she had kicked him off for.

Sheathing her dagger, Rue regained consciousness from her reflexes, and greeted with a yawn, "Morning, Sir Komui, Lenalee."

"G-Good morning…" Komui mumbled unevenly, his face still stark white from the earlier assault.

"Morning!" Lenalee chirped cheerfully, a lopsided smile on her face.

Lenalee and Rue's relationship was still in the works. All the while when she had been healing in the hospital, the younger Lee sibling made sure to go see her every day to check up on her and to bring her food as well. Rue was, at first, stubborn with her always dropping in, feeling that she didn't need any help from anyone. Lenalee had endured Rue's obstinate ways and kept at it.

Eventually, Rue was used to the visits. Once she was out of the medical wing, the two were slowly growing close, though not best friends yet. While Kanda would be away on missions, Lenalee would be the one to help Rue on her Innocence training during those days, even though the assassin was still trying to get used to the idea of getting help from either Exorcist.

"Kanda came back from his mission, so you better get ready!" Lenalee reminded her, dragging her older brother away in tow. "We'll talk later, okay?"

Rue nodded, watching the Lee siblings turn a corner once they were at the intersection of the corridor.

_And yet another day of… Well, that._ She thought with a grimace, obviously unenthusiastic.

* * *

The moment she got down to the training area outside, she was almost immediately slashed down by a certain sword. Reflexively, she dodged, though the blade had cut off a few strands of hair.

"Where were you?!" The familiar voice of Kanda howled out, scoffing on how he missed. "Do you know how long I've been waiting out here?! In case you've forgotten, it's winter time and I'm freezing my ass off!"

"I know," she rebutted nonchalantly, much to the samurai's irritation. "Let's just get this over with now, all right?"

"Yeah, yeah…"

Describing the connection between Kanda and Rue… It still hasn't changed. If you expected a miracle over here, sorry to disappoint; they still look at each other as rivals, as far as we know. Oddly enough, while they still have this enmity towards one another, they seemed to have developed a relationship that would suit siblings; bickering siblings, but siblings nevertheless.

They activated their Innocence, going at each other as they always did ever since Kanda was assigned to help Rue with her weak synchronization rate. With punches and kicks thrown here and there as well as sword slashes, they've refused to lose to each other at this point. As always, they would train for over an hour, not even stopping until they both had enough with little stamina left or until one of them lost.

Narrowly dodging a punch from the black glove, Deathtrap, the older boy remarked seriously, "Well, it looks like your speed increased a bit more. You were agile from the beginning; but you've relearned how to throw out fast punches now, given that you said that you did unarmed combat before weaponry."

"Is that all?" A low growl was hinted in her voice, Mugen barely scratching the bridge of her nose. "That wasn't the sort of improvement I was looking for."

"I wasn't finished," he continued on, not even wincing in the slightest while her fist found its way at his gut, too late to avoid it. It took him a moment to speak again because, though the Innocence itself was weak, her physical strength alone was another story and it felt like the air got knocked out of him. "There's also the fact that your Innocence seems to be able to be invocated faster, probably because of the synchronization rate increasing. But, I can't tell just yet."

He had slashed again with a powerful blow, which struck her left leg hard since she was trying to block the blow with her boot. While she had succeeded on somewhat parrying it, she could feel the blood oozing from the freshly made cut and she kept a perfectly vacant face when such a hit connected with her flesh. Unable to hold the weapon off, she kicked herself away from the blade while her foot was still on there, setting it back down to its proper place before lunging at him again.

"How am I supposed to know whether I've gotten better or worse at it, then?" Rue asked calmly, ducking low while Mugen almost claimed its target, but it had achieved on attacking her forehead as blood was seeping from it. Giving Kanda a sweeping kick with her left leg, he had almost lost footing from it, but luckily regained his balance. "You're being a bit vague, you know…"

"Che!" Feeling that she was bothering him with that sort of thing and still bemused of a weakness she needed to work on, he had dodged another incoming cuff from the white glove, Lifeline, this time. "While your speed and Innocence invocation increased by a bit, your strength from your Innocence is something else altogether and it's being troublesome!"

Not even bothering to stop launching her strength, Mugen sliced the flesh at Rue's right cheek.

"And what's supposed to mean?!" She was resisting on the anger that had threatened to come out, trying to keep her voice serene, Deathtrap about to hit his chest.

"Your natural power alone is already good, but combining it with your Innocence and its pathetic synchronization rate makes your blow feeble. In other words, little girly, that means you're STILL WEAK!"

As he declared this openly, Kanda hacked Mugen downwards on her. Without even strategizing on attempts to sidestep the assault, Rue held up her right arm to shield herself and blocked the katana with it. A red river flowed down from where the sword had sliced her and her expression was unreadable; long, strawberry blonde bangs hiding her blue-gray eyes.

"Tsk!" He growled, not bothering to move from his spot, his voice snapping with demand for he wanted to get an answer out of her on what was the meaning of this. "WHAT?!"

The two stayed like that, neither budging, the snow quietly falling. For how long they were like that, they didn't know, but a small voice finally broke the silence.

"Every day…"

Kanda looked up, seeing Rue's lips were moving as they spoke those words. Her face was still difficult to read and… Did she just twitch?

"Every damn day…"

She gritted her teeth, her other arm hanging from her side balling up into a tight fist. His dark eyes widened when he finally got a clear view of her expression: jaw clamped shut, knitted brow… But her eyes, especially her eyes, were openly expressing the one thing he had not seen there for two months straight since he had met her and got her into the Order.

Anger, fiery blue anger, had surfaced.

This wasn't going to turn out well.

Backing away, not even caring about her right arm at the moment, Rue was pissed off.

"I always have to put up with your constant bitching and insulting!" She bellowed wrathfully, a glow around her left arm and Deathtrap in view. "Bastard, I'll kill you!"

Deathtrap glowing brightly, with Rue finally expressing her anger openly, she had punched the ground. Instantly, it began to crackle under her gloved fist, fire being summoned out of the cracks as they began to spread.

Wide-eyed, Kanda jumped back reflexively before the fire wave had hit where he was last standing, which ended up scorching a leafless tree instead. This was a startling progress for this had never happened before when they were training together.

_Could it be that… She unlocked a power of her Innocence? _Kanda brooded, still not over his shock on what had just taken place. _And it happened when she finally showed her anger… _

Rue's temper had, at last, flared up and showed itself to him. Still pretty mad, there was always one thing she wanted to do once her Innocence's powers were unlocked; well, more like she wanted to give Kanda something she had always wanted to give him since they both had their first, unfortunate encounter.

And it was something that she had very tempted to offer to her teammate ever since he had started looking down on her from the very beginning.

"And I told you…" She started to run up to him at a fast pace, raising the still glowing, black fighting glove while holding her arm back. "I TOLD YOU TIME AND TIME AGAIN TO NEVER CALL ME WEAK! AND THIS TIME, I MEAN IT!"

She hurled the held back arm at him, unleashing her strength and the fire again as her fist collided onto his face. With such a strike, he flew into the air and his body landed on the ground with a hard thud. Huffing, the girl began to calm down a little, the luminous fire around Deathtrap vanishing.

Getting up, Kanda looked really pissed. With Mugen still out, he began to chase her with it.

"COME BACK HERE, YOU BRAT! YOU JUST LANDED A PUNCH ON ME WHILE I WAS OFF-GUARD! CHEATER!" By now, everyone in the Black Order must've heard this, which meant Kanda was just as ticked as Rue. The whole time when announcing this, he was saying it with a bloody and burnt face, which was now healing due to the tattoo on his body.

This made everyone wonder if Rue even bothered on taking that seriously.

"SO WHAT?!" She yelled over her shoulder, running away fast to escape from him. "GO AWAY ALREADY!"

* * *

While this was happening, from Komui's office, Lenalee was being a spectator of the unfolding scenario from the office window.

"Guys, did you just see…?" She looked dazed, her eyes wide with astonishment. To think that they would see Rue angry like that and it was all Kanda's fault.

"Kanda unleashed a demon from within her," Komui shuddered, having choked on his coffee earlier and spitting right out when this cropped up, no doubt afraid to see Rue like that. "Really, we don't see her express her emotions openly and what happened just now… Wow, just wow."

"Scary…" Reever mumbled nervously, not liking to think such thoughts.

The three of them turned to a certain person, who was also in the room. They wanted to know what he thought about this.

"Lavi…?" Komui was the first one who was trying to get his attention, which made the boy's head perk up at his name.

The redhead only cocked his head to one side in a bewildered way before pulling out his hammer and walking to the window. Though he said nothing, he just simply smiled at the Lee siblings and the Squad Leader and, after that, hopped out the window and activated his Innocence. On his now giant hammer's handle, he flew over to Kanda and Rue's current area.

_What could this mean? _The three thought, probably because they were put off with Lavi's smile. _He must be planning something…_

* * *

"What are you getting mad for?!" Kanda's loud voice was hollering in the cold scenery. He was still chasing down Rue with Mugen, but she refused to get caught.

"It's your entire damn fault, anyway!" Rue screamed back, still running as fast her legs could carry her, still pretty pissed off.

"My fault?! You're the one who has a difficult personality!"

"Look who's talking, you hypocrite!"

"BITE ME, THEN!"

"YOU WISH!"

He finally stopped once he looked up and saw a certain person in the sky.

"Oy, stupid rabbit!"

Landing in front of Kanda, Lavi deactivated his Innocence. Rue turned around when hearing the commotion behind her, puzzled on what he was doing here.

As for Lavi and Rue's bond, it was still questionable. While they seemed to be partners, and may even be considered friends, Lavi was still cold towards her. She took notice of this and, for some reason, it had bothered her. She didn't know why, but it did.

"Picking on a lady?" Lavi asked, a small frown on his face. "Now, now, Yuu… That isn't very polite."

"I was not picking on her!" Kanda reasoned, still angry, quite annoyed now that the other boy decided to call him by his first name again. "This tomboy punched me while I wasn't ready!"

Hearing this, she went up to the samurai and punched him again with Lifeline, protesting with a growl, "I did it because you wouldn't stop sounding like a bitchy woman 24/7! Seriously, you're so damn annoying!"

Seeing them argue, Lavi grinned with a suggestion, "…Maybe now is a good time to take a break?"

"Tch, good idea," he remarked grudgingly, passing by the two. As he was making his way by Rue, his whisper made its way to her ear. "I won't lose to you."

Tightening her hands into clenched fists, Rue yelled after Kanda when he was a good distance away, "And I'm not losing to you either!"

She was disgruntled, deactivating her Innocence as she grumbled, "Why, I oughta…"

Lavi was still astonished, seeing her like this. While he may have not shown it while he was in Komui's office, it was clear that this was surprising to him. To think that she didn't feel anything before, was he ever wrong.

Seeing Rue like this amused him for some odd reason. Perhaps, it was because he never thought he would see her as angry like this when she was the type to be calm. With this thought, he was snickering.

Hearing this, now confused blue-gray eyes drifted to the older boy.

"Lavi…?"

He glanced at her, observing her confusion in those eyes of hers.

"Oh… Nothing." He shrugged this off, feigning that he didn't do anything.

Of course, she wasn't the type to be fooled so easily for she had her suspicions. Getting out a dagger, she went up to him and held it to his throat.

"Are you sure? If not, I will interrogate you until you talk." She said with a straight, serious face, giving the redhead a look that meant that she wasn't joking.

Gulping, he replied hastily, "It's just that… I haven't seen you like this before…" To further indicate the truth, he had held his hands up in surrender. "That's all."

"Oh…" She warily put her dagger back in its sheath, though she kept her eyes on him. "Is… Is that all?"

He nodded cautiously, hoping that she would take it as the truth and nothing less than that.

"I see…" She whispered to herself, confusion and, maybe, another unknown emotion taking place. "That's right… I never reacted like this before."

"What?" Bewilderment was Lavi's tone now.

Not looking at him, her eyes averted to the cloudy, white sky.

"I… I have a confession to make. The way I normally act, especially out of reflex… It… It came from my previous profession. Well, I'm not sure if I've been dismissed from it, but I still have instincts from it."

Curious, he listened in.

With an unknown expression, she continued on talking, "You're the first one I'm telling this information to, so I expect you not to tell anyone else about it until I'm ready to say it. Not even Sir Komui knows about it, despite the fact he has my other personal information. For as long as I can remember… I am an assassin."

His one eye widened, his intake of air sharp as he took a quick look at her when she had announced this.

_So, is that why she's always like that? _

"I had no parents, no childhood. I didn't know anything of the world except for war. All I knew… Was how to kill and only kill."

_This explains everything: the way she would act around people, the way she reacts when she's disturbed from her sleep or when she's startled… That look in her eyes… It all makes sense now._

"So, it's funny," Rue continued on, puzzlement evidently there as she didn't take her eyes off the sky. "That ever since I came into the Order… Slowly, little by little, I can feel things changing from the way I'm used to. Normally, this wouldn't be the type of association I'd be in; in my previous place, it would usually be strictly business and nothing more."

Lavi had been silent all the while she spoke, gazing off into space as well.

"Well… Isn't that a good thing?" Lavi broke the silence, asking this softly as he looked at her with a smile.

"…Is it?" Rue answered back with a question of her own, breaking her eye contact off the sky as she gazed at him, perplexed. "I… I don't know…"

Her eyes flickered to another emotion, one that neither had seen on her before. When that happened, she dropped her eye contact, looking at the white blanket of snow.

_Doubt, _Lavi thought, taken aback when seeing that look in her eyes. _She's… Feeling doubtful._

"Just… Be positive." He nodded to her, turning his back to go back inside the Order. "I'm gonna go eat."

Looking up at him, Rue felt faint, no energy left. She had been training for over an hour and it was about noontime now.

"Come to think of it…" She frowned, annoyed at the thought of Kanda. "After all of the Hell Kanda put me through, I'm hungry too."

She wasn't sure on what to say now, hesitation growing.

"Can I… Come with you?"

Lavi looked back, pausing in his steps, surprised again that she would ask something. While it may seem like a question, it was more like a request. He watched her shifting her feet in the snow, looking reluctant and uncomfortable.

"Sure," he finally answered, the usual smile on his face. "Why not?"

She nodded, all of those feelings gone. Uncertainty was still there, but she didn't hold anything bad. Without saying anything more, she followed him to the cafeteria.

* * *

Nodding politely in thanks after Jerry gave her food tray, Rue went to sit next to Lavi, who already had his own food.

After eating his food in a good amount, the redhead pulled out a book he brought with him and started flipping through it. While he may not be with the Bookman elder now, and he didn't have any duties to fulfill for today, Lavi did have an interest in books that was outside of his obligations. It was noted by others in the Order that he has a high I.Q. because of constant studying. Occasionally, he would glance at the young girl besides him, who was eating a large portion for her meal, and continued on reading.

Rue continued on eating her meat dumplings and lobster bisque, savoring in the food's taste. She also ate the sisig for that she loved it when it was made fresh, she discovered it was tastier when it was just done being made. She was pretty much starving due to the training session she had with Kanda, which made her appreciate the food even more.

After finishing her food, she got out a book and opened it. It was the book that she had read earlier before Komui interrupted her. The book was black, but it had red on the lettering as well as the spine of the book. There was a lock and a hinge to hang the lock on, so the book could be permanently closed, but Rue kept the key somewhere safe in her room. The pages look old, but ink was imbedded there with words, countless words, that were in elegant handwriting. One would consider the handwriting calligraphic because of its beauty.

"…You're a reader?" Lavi noticed the book in her hands, surprised.

With a nod, Rue replied quietly, "Yes, I always had an interest in books. My former boss would always provide me reading material after he saw me hanging in my organization's library often than not after I would be done with my duties."

He nodded, listening to her.

"But…" She looked a glance at the book she held, her eyes holding something that was close to sentimentalism. "This particular book is important to me."

"I see." He smiled.

"This book, among two other possessions, is the only thing left I've to remind myself of my parents. It may not be much, but…" She looked like she was staring off into space, but she shook her head as her eyes hardened to their default state, sentimentalism gone. "I still want to see how they lived their lives."

"That's nice." He nodded, looking into his book again. Hearing her talk like this had made certain emotions try to enter his mind, but he had shoved them out. "It's good you have something."

"Isn't it? However, I wish I could see what it's like to live normally. Well, even without the life I've been living, I'd probably still have the Innocence and get summoned by the Order."

She didn't show it, but her eyes looked wistful if only briefly. He could only sigh, trying harder on focusing on his book.

Looking up at her and smiling as he always did, he remarked, "Better we not talk about this."

She nodded now, but there was still something negative growing from within as she scanned the pages that had her mother's handwriting printed on it. She was starting to remember again, remembering the past she had long ago buried deep into her mind. She closed her eyes tightly, seeing the flashes again, the blood splatters and she was using what self-control she had now on concentrating not to think about it.

_Don't think about it… Don't think… _

Lavi sighed again, hating he was now thinking of pointless matters. Abruptly, he took his book and stood up.

"I need to get back to work. Please, try not to kill Kanda." He smiled, trying not to think of his own thoughts. "See you later."

"I'll try not to…" Rue murmured, unsure that he had heard her as he walked out of the cafeteria, leaving her alone.

* * *

_Damn it. _Lavi swore as he was on his way to the library. _Damn it. Hearing her talk like that… Made me remember a lot of things. Throwing away my real name to show my duty for Bookman, not getting attached to others because of this duty… Why did she have to remind me of that?_

_Because, _Deak was making himself present, barging into Lavi's train of thought. _It's been instilled in you for such a long time already. Try not to get attached to the Order. You of all people should know why you've decided to take the Bookman duty in your life. But, remember that it'll require a lot of sacrificing. Don't get attached and you'll be fine._

_People are idiots because of the things they do, the mistakes they made. They can hurt you in a lot of ways. The worse thing they could ever do is betray you and lie to you. _

Slicking his fiery red hair back, the older boy growled in frustration and entered the library to distract himself, seeing Bookman waiting.

_People are not your comrades, Lavi. Remember that well and you'll soon become a Bookman successor in no time._

As Rue wandered off into her room and closed the door, she frowned, letting her body fall onto her bed as her face met the blankets. She did not care if she had any wounds from Kanda at the moment, she was still thinking of what happened earlier between Lavi and her.

_Did I do something wrong? _She thought, not moving. _I shouldn't care. Rue, you shouldn't care. There was only one person who had cared about you and you're far away from him now. Don't care for others, you know that they don't give a damn about you and they're doing this out of pity._

Her back was starting to burn again, probably because of the memories she had recalled earlier. She grunted with slight annoyance, trying to block the pain out.

_What bothers me is the way Lavi acts. He is kind, but he's still being cold towards me. Why do you bother to care if you're going to keep acting that way towards me?_

_Why, Lavi? Why?

* * *

_

Hitomi: And another long chapter. Glad to see that I'm done. I finally unlocked one of Rue's powers. Still not saying how they're connected to Rue at this moment for that I still need to develop the concept of her Innocence. XD And who would've thought Kanda would help her unlock one of the powers of her Innocence by making her angry?

Bad Kanda, bad!

But, you can see Rue has changed just a little bit. Her relationships with Komui, Lenalee, Kanda, and Lavi seemed to have broadened a little, despite Rue being the way she is. Of course, as you can see, it bothers her when Lavi acts that way to her, being kind and cold.

I told you I would reveal one of the possessions Rue has. That book is her mother's diary.

And Lavi, once again, went off into Deak mode. Sorry to do this, but I have to. He'll get out of it, eventually. Either that or when Rue has the guts to go vocal on him and explain that it's bothering her a lot. Of course, to her, it shouldn't because she's a cold and detached person from the beginning. Riley was the only one who cared about her while everyone else had used her as a weapon and nothing else.

Anyway, I'm not sure how next chapter is going to turn out… So, let's see me work on that. Be seeing you, please read and review!


	9. Indecipherable Hearts

Hitomi: Thank you for the reviews, favorites, and alerts, guys! I can't really say what's going to happen here, but all I know is that we're going to get development out of this. I might be doing this wrong, so forgive me if I make any mistakes…

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

* * *

_Dear Riley, _

_How are things going over there in France? Are you okay? Is the Underground Society still keeping itself together? _

_For me, things are still an adjustment here to where I am right now. As usual, the attitudes of the people here are not what I'm used to; in actuality, it confuses me a lot. Compared to Underground Society, things are a little more… Open than what I'm used to seeing and living in. Well, you don't make things too strict in Underground Society; in fact, you did make it like the place I'm in now, it's just that…_

_Well, I'm not used to it. You know what it was like when I was younger. You were there because you saved me._

_I haven't asked you since I left, but I'm still under your orders, aren't I? I know you told me to go look for an opportunity that's outside of an assassin life, but… I'm still wondering about this._

_I just want to say that I seemed to have made some friends of sorts. That is, I can call them that because I'm still not sure and I'm still adjusting. One is my new boss. He actually reminds me a little like you. He cares about the people in this place and would do his best for them. Of course, there are times when he acts like an idiot, which makes me feel so shameful._

_The second is the younger sibling of my boss. She's an open, cheerful girl. She's very close to the ones she made friends here, especially her older brother. My relationship with her… Well, we're close, but I'm not too sure how close. In spite of me not wanting help, she gives it to me, anyway. I wonder how such a girl could put up with me, anyway._

_This one… Well, this one's a boy and I'm not getting along with him at all. When he took me to this place, he had been looking down at me from the very beginning, calling me weak and all that. Just a few days ago, despite my weakness in my new weapon, I had managed to prove him wrong and even punched him in the face. I don't know what to call our relationship, but it definitely has a vibe of rivalry. And yet, despite this, I feel something more than that. Siblings, perhaps? Is this what it's like to have an older, hot-headed brother? Bah! What a pain!_

_This other boy I'm about to tell you about… He's a little peculiar. I don't know. I guess you can consider him my first friend in this place because he had introduced himself first (unlike that other guy I told you about). He's… Kind. But, I don't know what else to tell you about him. Despite being that way, he's somewhat cold too. It sometimes makes me feel if I did something wrong. It never bothered me before, him being like this, but it does now. Maybe I should just keep my distance from him…_

_There's also something urgent I've to tell you as well. You know my past better than anyone because you were there. I'm telling you this because I'm starting to recall the memories in the form of nightmares now. I don't know what triggered it, but because of that, I've not been getting any good sleep lately. I hope you can give me suggestions on how I can be able to rest easy without these things on my mind._

_Well, anyway, it's near the holidays, isn't it? So, be sure to check your mail often because one of these days, I'll give you a present; that is, if I have enough money to. Merry Christmas in advanced._

_-Rue

* * *

_

**Unravel**

**IX**

**Indecipherable Hearts**

[_Two can play at a game like this._

_The first is a boy who is obligated to longtime duties and_

_The second is a girl who only knew how to kill._

_Our hearts are like labyrinths with paths, doors, and ends._

_Even though we're different, we're also very alike more than we're aware of._]

* * *

Waking up, removing bandages (due to training with Kanda) from her body, Rue watched the snow falling outside. It felt serene to watch the snowflakes gently floating down to the ground, but she was still feeling tired and the dull aches from her body were still faintly present. While some thought she had slept peacefully, in truth, she didn't. She kept drifting in and out of sleep due to nightmares plaguing her dreams.

Facing a wall, she swung her legs off the bed and got up from it, deciding to dress up in her assassin clothes and have an urge to take a walk outside.

_Ah, can't leave without these. _Rue mused as she took two silver chains from her drawer. Hanging from one of them was a silver, heart-shaped locket that had a wing on each side. The wings were growing from the hinge of the locket, but if you open it fully, you'll see outside of it that the heart has a pair of wings. However, for some unknown reason, the locket was empty. She hung that around her neck.

The other chain, which was larger, had something circular hanging from it. From the outside, an outline of a lion's face was onto the front. If you open it, though, you'll find that it's a pocket watch. Aside from seeing the built in clock in there, on the other side of the circular accessory, there looked to be a picture of two people sealed behind glass. The man there had black hair and blue-gray eyes; the woman had long, strawberry blonde hair and light blue eyes. After closing it, she tucked it into her shorts pocket.

It was considerably early in the morning, but either she took no notice of it or she didn't care. Quietly shutting her bedroom door, she had gone down the hall without a sound.

Of course, it looked like someone was up as well.

"Eh?" The redhead swiveled his head to find the younger girl present, smiling a little. "Morning, Rue."

Rue wanted to curse at the fact that Lavi was up like she was. The last person she wanted to see was him. She felt that she didn't need to provide an answer, so she only nodded silently in acknowledgment.

"I'm surprised you're up. Normally, Komui or I have to wake up; that is, if we don't lose our lives first." He chuckled a little, shaking his head at the countless memories both were close to their deaths. "So, what brings you up early?"

She didn't say anything, resuming on walking down the hall. Lavi would think she would converse with him, but she had walked right past him, having not said anything.

There was one answer she had provided, however.

"Why do you care?" Her voice was calm, icy, like the winter outside. Though it was laced with a hint of disconcertion, the bitterness overpowered it.

Astonished, Lavi looked to her direction and watched her turn a corner to go downstairs. He scratched his head, feeling a lot at once: shock, confusion and sadness.

_Strange… She only acted that way towards me in the beginning. Sure, she's still cold, but…_

_What… Just happened?_

* * *

After having her walk, Rue went straight to the cafeteria. Even though all in the Black Order have their own objectives of defeating the Earl and the Akuma, it was rather lively for such an organization.

"Good morning, Rue!" Jerry greeted the Exorcist-in-training cheerfully, ready to take up her order the moment she stepped up to the counter. "Anything that you want me to make for breakfast today?"

"Mmm…" She nodded, considering it. "I think I'll take pancakes with butter and syrup along with crepes with banana, whipped cream, and chocolate syrup."

"Oooh, really? Well, then, coming right up!"

"Ah, right. Don't forget to give me orange juice."

"Consider it done!"

When getting her food tray, she went off to find an empty table, eating her food quietly. Chatter was abuzz as Exorcists, Finders, and the Science Department were up and awake. As she continued on eating, her mind reflected on a lot of things.

_It feels like I'm slowly remembering things I don't wish to ever since I came into the Order. _Cutting with a knife, she savored the taste of the pancake as she stuffed a piece into her mouth with a fork. _I wonder why that is. I haven't had any thought of these memories ever since Riley was there for me. Maybe, it wasn't such a good idea to leave…_

_But I had to because I have Innocence. I feel like I'm paying the price for it, though._

"Morning, Rue!" A familiar voice greeted her, jolting the strawberry blonde girl out of her thoughts. Accompanying her at the table now was Lenalee, who was having waffles as well as sausages and egg.

Swallowing a piece of crepe now, the girl welcomed her.

"Morning, Lenalee."

"You look like you didn't get enough sleep." The other girl frowned a little in concern, eating at her waffle. "Are you okay?"

"It's nothing." She replied casually, eating another piece of the crepe. "Don't worry."

"Don't lie, Rue. It doesn't look like you slept well."

"I'm telling you not to worry about it, Lenalee. It's fine."

With a sigh, the Chinese girl had to give up, pouting a little while biting her sausage. If there was anything to make note of Rue, she was definitely stubborn, whether it was about help being offered to her or when she had been told to open up more.

"Fine… But, if it is something, don't hesitate to tell me, okay?"

"No problem."

Drinking her orange juice, Rue almost choked on it as she saw a certain redhead with a certain dark-haired, hot-headed boy.

"I'm telling you, Yuu!" Lavi protested, looking serious. "Rue's been acting this way towards me lately. Sure, she was like that from the beginning, but I thought I had changed her, somehow."

"And you act like I care to listen, stupid rabbit." Kanda retorted with an annoyed voice, getting his tray of soba. "So what if she's cold to you? She's sometimes a little grumpy in the mornings, which is why she comes close to killing either you or Komui."

"True, though she hasn't been doing to me either… Maybe it's just a misunderstanding."

Finishing the last of her juice, Rue got up hastily just as Kanda and Lavi sat at their table. Lenalee looked between the redhead and the other girl in surprise while Bookman Jr. looked like he was going to say something to her. But, the girl was not looking at him, avoiding all eye contact as much as possible; rather, she gave a sharp look to her teammate.

"What, shorty?" Kanda looked back, more annoyed than before.

"Tiedoll."

"What?"

"Where's General Tiedoll?" Her voice was alert, serious.

A little taken aback at this, Kanda responded to her off-handedly, "The old man should either be in the library or outside at the training area. Probably sketching, I suppose."

Her eyes flashed when hearing sketching. Finishing what remained of her pancakes and crepes, she had begun to walk away from the table.

"I'll see you later, Lenalee," the girl called out hurriedly. "And Kanda, thanks for telling me that. I already know I won't be training with you since you have a mission."

The aforementioned two gave looks to the bookworm, whom they noticed that Rue didn't recognize at all. It was as if that she was flat out ignoring him. Not meeting their gaze, the Bookman apprentice looked glum, slowly eating his food.

"Lavi…" Lenalee began cautiously, still continuing on eating her breakfast as her eyes followed the distant figure of her female companion. "What did you do to Rue?"

"I don't even know what I did." Lavi admitted gingerly, eating away at his sandwich. "She's been like this for the past few days now."

"Tch, you might've made her angry, somehow." Kanda commented with a shrug, slurping up his soba.

"Yeah, but the only thing is how." He was still looking sad about it, wishing he had a book on him now in order to distract himself.

"Che, Hell if I know. Not my business, even though she is my teammate. But all I know is that you possibly made her angry."

Lenalee sighed, sympathizing for Lavi while she bit at her egg.

"Whatever it is, try to make up." The female occupant of the table offered this to the bookworm. "I don't know what happened between you two, but just do something about it. I don't like it when people fight."

A sudden commotion came about in the canteen as a giant, robotic creation, which strangely looked like a certain supervisor, came into view. On top of it looked like a crazed Komui, who was grinning widely.

"Big brother…" Lenalee groaned inwardly, not liking what would come out of this.

"Komurin I has finally arrived!" Komui sang happily, the grin still there. "It's too bad that Rue's not around to see."

_I think it was better if she didn't. _The three of them thought exasperatedly at the back of their minds. _Rue, you're lucky that you left early!_

"Komurin I, attack!"

As Kanda was about to have his second—or was it his third?—bowl of soba, the giant android took it.

"Oy! Get back here, you stupid robot!" Kanda fussed as he chased after it and Komui, Mugen out. Lavi and Lenalee could only sigh, shaking their hands, deciding to either leave it to them or they would help later.

* * *

"General? What's it like?"

"Hm? What is it, Rue?"

"What's it like… To feel?"

They were in the library now, conversing quietly. Rue looked serious, but the General looked confused.

"To feel." Tiedoll repeated, looking at the girl curiously.

"To feel emotions," she said bluntly, never taking her eyes off of the man she slowly considered as her father figure. "That's what I don't understand."

"Ahhh, my dear," the man smiled kindly, patting the chair next to him. "Go and have a seat. I'll explain it."

Abiding by his word, she sat next to him, her eyes lighting up as she saw the sketchbook that was laid out onto the table.

Seeing this, his smile widened as he asked her, "Would you like to look through it?"

Rue jerked at his voice, her expression looking as if she had been caught in a lie. She didn't mean to stare at it, but her interest got the better of her. She looked reluctant and nervous, blue-gray eyes holding a fleeting hint of timidity.

"Can I, General?"

"Certainly, my daughter! You are more than welcome!" He looked joyous, his laugh flourishing. "I told you not to hesitate to come to me for anything, right? So, you're allowed to look into my sketches as much as you like."

Her hands shaking a little, she took the book off from the table and slowly looked through the contents. While she didn't smile, her eyes were bright as she felt something when taking in the art. The details in his illustrations were breathtakingly beautiful; it was hard to choose which piece was her favorite. The settings were vivid as if you were in the place itself. The people he had drawn in there had an exquisite feel to them. They looked so lifelike.

His recent picture looked like the Black Order from outside with snowy scenery, this being because he went outside earlier. Even that felt like she was looking at the exterior right now in the snow.

"How is it?" Tiedoll smiled expectedly, feeling happy she looked so awed. "Does it suit your taste?"

"They're…" Rue breathed, unsure of what to say as she struggled to formulate an opinion in her mind. "They're… Amazing; truly, they are."

"Well, I'm glad you like them, my dear."

"They also remind me… Of Mother." The last of the sentence came out as a whisper, a hesitant murmur.

"Hm?" His head picked up when hearing this. "Mother?"

"My mother," she admitted slowly, glancing down at one of the sketches as another emotion shifted into her eyes. It looked like the days before, the almost sentimentalism that was present when she was with Lavi. "It's because my mother was so immersed into the arts. Her sketches, her paintings… I've seen them all. I've kept them with me as they're one of the last reminders I have of her."

The high ranked Exorcist's eyes softened, knowing he had broken through that shell of hers somehow, for that this was the first time ever that she had spoken about her parents.

"I don't know what happened to her. I don't remember her or my father. All I knew, all I knew…" Rue took in a sharp breath, feeling her head pound as she saw flashes of her past, of what her whole life had consisted until Riley entered in.

"Rue… You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." Tiedoll comforted his "daughter," putting a hand on her shoulder.

She nodded a little bit, calming herself down as she blocked all recollections from her mind.

"Though, Rue, you just gave me an idea." The General smiled again, which made Rue's face contort into a serious frown.

"What idea, General?"

"The idea on how to explain emotions to you, of course! Since it can't be explained well by words, it has to be shown."

"General?"

"Okay, the first emotion to teach you… Come to think of it, Yuu told me about it a few days ago."

Rue scowled at the mention of the incident, knowing fully well what Kanda had told him about. Though she felt a little thankful for him helping her unlock her Innocence's power, she was still slightly angry for how it came about. She wasn't the type to lose her control of her temper—or really lack thereof—so easily, not even around Riley; but, for some reason, the dark blue-haired samurai really irritated her to no end.

"I see that you still remember it." Tiedoll observed with a smile, moving his hand up to her head to pat it. "It's all right. It's good that you finally felt something like that."

"Why is that a good thing? I'm not the type to go off with my temper like that… But, he really does aggravate me."

He chuckled, "Which is why it's a good thing. You've learned to be that way and it proves that being able to feel emotions means you're human."

A sudden flashback came into her mind as he said this, remembering Riley.

_"I saved you for a lot of reasons, but the most important one is because, even though you've been trained to be an assassin, I still want you to maintain yourself." A younger Riley reasoned with a smile, patting her younger self's head. "I want you to feel emotions because it proves that you're human and you've a heart, kiddo."_

She blinked, the image fading in her mind. Seeing this, General Tiedoll took the sketchbook in his hand and a piece of charcoal nearby.

"Actually, forget the emotion of anger I was going to draw. We'll save that for later. For now, just keep yourself like that." He requested, sketching away on a blank page. Without much of a thought, Rue nodded silently in reply.

The only thing that could be heard in the library now was the General's sketching. The girl still kept her facial expression as it was, but still eyeing the much older man's sketchbook, watching his hand go this way and that with the charcoal as it made marks on the paper. After a few more minutes, he set down the charcoal and smiled.

"Here." She took the sketchbook from his hand and looked on it. She was awed at the way he drew her down to the very detail. But, he was mostly focusing on the expression on her face when she recalled that certain memory of her former boss. She looked to be thinking in this portrait, her eyes having a faraway look to them. Though she didn't smile as usual, there seemed to be a hint of pensive.

"This can interpreted in two ways," Tiedoll explained now, seeing her observing that sketch. "Either this particular emotion could be expressed as 'contemplation' or it could be 'nostalgia.' Facial expressions, when it comes to feelings, can be translated in different ways with more than one emotion."

"I see." Rue nodded slowly, trying her best to understand.

"Let's have you portray anger now." This should be easy for her to show since there's only one person who had succeeded on making her feel such. "Think of Yuu being his usual self."

Upon the mention of him, she started frowning again, gritting her teeth as if ready to bite him. Her blue-gray eyes flickered with such intensity as if becoming blue fire again. Fascinated, Tiedoll started drawing on the paper, capturing the essence of Rue's annoyance.

Showing it to her, the girl looked a little taken aback. This was her when she was mad at Kanda? That was a surprise.

The General was laughing at this, forgetting where he was for he thought this was funny, but was immediately shushed by the few who occupied the library. Sheepishly, he turned his voice down.

"So… This is 'anger,' isn't it, General?" Rue questioned quietly, tracing her self-portrait's jaw carefully.

"Yes, that is anger. It could probably be made out as 'annoyance' or 'irritation' as well. Though, who would've thought it would be Yuu, of all people, to uncover such a thing from you." As he said this, Tiedoll grinned widely, which made her grimaced bemusedly in return.

"I'm joking, Rue. Now then, this will be the last lesson on emotion for today, so I want you to make this good. Let's see… How about what you're feeling right now?"

The thirteen-year-old thought long and hard on this one. As she was still new to emotions, she decided to reflect on this carefully. She recalled a lot of things ever since she entered the Black Order. However, one particular recollection came to mind, which began to unfold a specific look on her face. Involuntarily, her thoughts drifted to a certain boy that she was harsh to earlier in the morning and it took all restraint not to either swear or flinch.

Without a moment to lose, the General already started to outline her face on the paper, occasionally glancing up at her with a little worry. When he was done, he silently gave the book to his "daughter," who took it.

Glancing down at the paper, her appearance was striking in this particular piece. It looked like an internal conflict on this facial expression. While she didn't smile or frown, there was still a stressing point at her brow. Her eyes had a lost look in them and her mouth twisted into some sort of grimace.

"This emotion can be translated as 'confusion…'" The General noted quietly, still keeping worried eyes on her. "However, it looks different. It may come off as 'sadness' too."

"I think… I think 'confusion' fits it more, General." Rue said after a moment of silence, her eyes still looking at the paper. "I don't even know how to be sad."

"Maybe you're feeling it without realizing it. There are eight basic emotions and you've already unlocked anger. So, let's see what's going to happen…"

They were outside of the library now, Tiedoll closing the door. With a nod, Rue bowed deeply with gratitude.

"Thank you, General, for teaching me about sentiments in a way I can understand." Rue said with a curt, serious voice. "I've always read about feelings in books, but it really doesn't help unless you experience them yourself."

Patting her head, the older man smiled gently to her.

"And whatever you're going through right now…" The General began, still feeling a little anxious about the things he was not telling her. "I hope you can solve it soon."

She nodded hesitantly, giving him a full salute and left.

* * *

Rue was in the dorms now, about to head to her room. She looked at her pocket watch and the time was early evening, about 4 or 5 PM.

_Nothing to do for a while. _Rue mused, enjoying the quiet in the area. _I'll go down to eat later, but other than that, I wonder what's there to kill the time… Well, I could always read Mother's diary again or find something to do._

She stopped as she heard footsteps, her hand reaching for a sheathed dagger. Whipping her head over her shoulder, the killing instinct disappeared as she saw a certain older boy, the twitching hand heading for the dagger now dangled limply at her side. Without even saying anything, she turned back and quickly went off to her room.

"Rue…" Lavi called to her, wondering why she was like this as he went after her.

"Don't even come near me right now, Lavi." She retorted coldly, her footsteps echoing loudly now. "I don't want to talk to you."

"Why not?!" He cried out more from frustration than anger. "You've been like this for the past few days! What is it that I did that's made you like this?!"

Rue kept silent, her mouth forming a thin line.

"If you're angry at me, say it. I don't know what I did, but if you're angry, go ahead and say so."

She stopped in her tracks, uncertainty taking over her. Shaking her head, she continued to move and went into her door and shut it. From the inside, the Bookman apprentice could've sworn she locked it. Nevertheless, he went up to that door and knocked softly.

"Rue… I—"

"Do you even know why I've been like this? Do you even have a clue at all?" Her calm voice interrupted him, making his body twitch as he expected her not to talk.

When he had not given a response, she continued on, her forehead pressing onto the door.

"It's because I want you to realize something. It's because I want you to see what you did to me. Lavi…" Her voice was a whisper, almost cracking. "Lavi… I don't understand you."

This befuddled him and Deak didn't like the circumstances, as always.

"You don't… Understand me?" He felt like he wasn't in control of his own body, his voice—his words—didn't sound like his own.

A sudden shake of the door caused him to back away. Rue had banged her fist on it in frustration.

"Of course I don't!" She growled out bitterly, her eyes flashing dangerously. "If you're going to be cold while being kind; then, that means you don't mean it at all!"

_It's because she doesn't understand you're not obligated to make friends. _Deak retorted sinisterly, trying to convince Lavi to walk away now. _She doesn't know of your Bookman duties, but in the name of Bookman, you don't need anyone. All you need to do is record history and nothing else._

"I'm not telling you to change for the sake of asking nor am I asking you in order to give into my wishes. Certainly, I don't want that." Rue's voice, while still angry, sounded weak as she punched the door again; oddly enough, the strength of it wasn't forceful as the previous. "I…"

_Lavi, walk away right now and pretend nothing ever happened. You shouldn't be listening to this._

"I'm asking you… To be sincere. It's bothering me. It never did before, but lately, it makes me angry on how contradictive you are." Facing her room, she sat down with her back on the door, looking up at the ceiling. "If you don't know where you truly want to be; then, don't bother reaching out to me."

For some reason, Lavi's insides went cold when she said this. Just when he was going to retort, it sounded like the younger girl still had something to say.

"At least you grew up in a world that, despite your circumstances, you were able to live normally."

Feeling the impact those words carried, the redhead finally had the voice to answer back, "Was that why you acted the way you did? Because while I did live a life you didn't, you still don't know what made me like this—"

"You're right," she suddenly blurted, bluntly. "I don't know what your life was like, I don't know much of anything if at all about you. All I know about you is you're being fake to me."

"What?! I'm not being f—"

"Then, tell me why you saved me from the Akuma before I came here. Surely, it was just because I was just an Exorcist and I recently discovered I've gotten Innocence."

"While that may be true, that's not—"

"Or the time you decided to stay out with me when I was exhausted from training. You even bothered on giving me food and water when you heard I didn't eat or drink the whole day. Don't lie about this either, I figured you were the one who carried me to my room when I fell asleep on you because we were the only Exorcists up."

"Rue…" He was at a loss for words.

"Aside from other memories, along with those two, what about what happened a few days ago? You allowed me to accompany you to lunch and we were talking. Then, all of a sudden, you decided to leave me alone because you said you had work to do."

He couldn't speak now, his throat tightening, his stomach knotting into guilt. It had occurred to him that what happened a few days ago, she took it to heart and she took it hard.

"The Lavi I've known these past two months…" Her voice was so quiet now, he barely heard her. "The Lavi I seem to know is gentle, gentle and warm. But, because he is struggling from the inside about something, he is cold and detached. From the latter, while he's like that for a different reason, that still doesn't change the fact that…"

_The reason why I've saved you was not only because you were a newly awakened Exorcist; partially the reason, but not all of it. _Lavi thought reasonably, completely ignoring Deak, who was practically screaming vulgarities. _When I saw those eyes, they held that distant, desolate look that I've worn. From your circumstances, while it's understandable, it's also sad. Of course, I know you don't place yourself as the tragic type, you don't want pity and you're not the type to whine about your past._

_I saved you because I wanted to teach you a lot of things that I've not learned until recently. Seeing Lenalee cry like that when I first got into the Order… It changed something within me. Along with Yuu, she was one of my first friends. Even while I'm still being lectured about my duties, without even realizing it, I got attached here. I'm not supposed to, but I did._

_The reason why I reached out to you is because…_

"You're just like me."

_You're just like me._

Both Exorcists discovered this, but neither had been vocal about it. A long silence had followed and Lavi decided to sit against her door too. Just when he thought Rue had fallen asleep, it surprised him to hear her voice from the other side once more.

"If you continue to be like this… Until you've reached your decision on how you want to be seen… Don't be kind to me anymore." The last sentence held a tone of finality.

Lavi felt a chill down his spine when she declared this and got up, ready to knock onto her door; his fist stopped, just hovering not even an inch away from the wooden structure.

"I want to know… Which part of Lavi is real."

Even though she couldn't see him, he nodded in reluctant understanding and turned to leave. With a lot on his mind, he slicked back his hair in frustration, trying to keep mask of it.

_While you say that… It's hard to stay away. I will work through on my own which path I want to be on, but that doesn't mean I won't stop being kind to you._

_Man, the old geezer is not going to be happy when he hears this. _Deak clucked in disappointment; if he had a body, he would be shaking his head and facepalming by now. _Lavi, what the Hell are you doing? First, the Order; now, this girl! Do you even know the consequences if Gramps finds out?!_

_I'm aware, Deak. But, I want to figure this out on my own._

_But—_

Ignoring him once more, Lavi went into his own room and sat on his bed. With a sigh, he buried his face in his hands, troubled.

_What is the right path to take, a Bookman or an Exorcist? _

_Someone… Anyone… Help.

* * *

_

Hitomi: I'm done again with another chapter. It was about time Riley was mentioned again (well, I didn't want you guys thinking I've forgotten him because I didn't!), so Rue managed to write a letter to him. Why two months late, though? It's because she's so busy training with Kanda and all that.

The locket does hold a significant importance, though it should be obvious who gave it to her. As for the pocket watch, it belonged to her father.

Hehe, you'd think that Rue and Kanda would argue right off the bat in the cafeteria scene, but neither seemed to want to put up a fight, which is a surprise. Lenalee, as concerned as she is with her comrades, is, with no exceptions, worried about Rue as well. XD And yay for Komui and Komurin!

I wasn't sure who would be the right person to teach Rue about emotions, but General Tiedoll did come in mind.

And the reason why Rue was mad at Lavi was because of what happened in Chapter VIII. I guess she got fed up with Lavi's on-and-off personality concerning being icy and kind. And thus, the confrontation here was said. I hope I did keep Lavi in this particular segment in character, I really hope I did. Of course, as usual, can't forget his Bookman duties, so Deak is in there to chastise him.

Not sure what will happen here on out, but let's see how I can continue on with this fic. Thank you, please read and review!


	10. Journey

Hitomi: Back again! Thank you for all who have reviewed and/or put this story on favorites or alerts! It really feels good to have that sort of feedback because it encourages me to write more. And with all of the updating I've been doing lately, who knows, maybe I've broken through writer's block. Of course, it's not safe to say that for fear it may come at me again.

As for what I planned in this chapter, well… *grins* Looks like you'll be in for a surprise. And woohoo, Chapter 10! It's about damn time too!

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

* * *

**Unravel**

**X**

**Journey**

[_Out in the cold, but on an assignment!_

_It feels nice to be outside again._]_

* * *

_

"On… A mission?" Her slow, confused voice questioned the white uniformed, beret wearing supervisor in front of her. "Sir Komui… Are you sure?"

"Yes," Komui responded with a light smile, his dark eyes sincere with his answer as he took a sip from his coffee mug. "You're still weak with your Innocence, but I'm letting you go out."

Suddenly, the door slammed opened, which made Rue jump, startled. She was about to release a dagger and throw it, but she laid eyes on the others that appeared before her. In came a sullen Kanda, a confused Lenalee, and an unfazed Lavi.

"Word has been going around that the shorty is going on her first mission." Kanda pointed out, giving a stern look to his teammate. "Is that true, Komui?"

"I believe her being in my office should give you an obvious answer, Kanda."

"But, big brother," Lenalee began worriedly with wide, dark purple eyes; shaking her head, which made the dark teal pigtails on it fly around. "Rue's Innocence is still weak. If she's not careful, she could—"

"I'm aware, Lenalee." The older Lee sibling turned to his sister, still smiling, but his eyes were serious. "But, I'm doing this because A) she needs training outside too and B) she's going to be on bodyguard duty."

"Bodyguard duty?" Lavi's voice was stunned at such a proposal. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm sending all four of you to Germany for an assignment because there's a masquerade ball going on. There had been rumors flying around that the ball's residence has been showing some abnormality when people enter in a certain part of the castle. What people have seen in there gave varied results and, judging from the reactions, it seemed to be somehow connected to them. Of course, that depends on the person too."

"Maybe it's something that may have to do with their memories." Rue concluded with a quiet seriousness. The dark-haired Japanese male frowned at the opinion, the other female looked a bit anxious, and the Bookman apprentice's green eye looked like it lit up as an odd reaction of sorts.

"Sounds like it. Although, whether it's their pasts or their futures, we don't know. Considering that this is the irregularity that's been reported in the place; then, chances are, there's Innocence inside. Whether there's a potential Exorcist that wields the possible Innocence, we don't have details on that either."

"So, what's this got to do with the whole bodyguard thing?" Lavi asked curiously, bewilderment evident on his face.

"Since Rue is still weak in her Innocence unlike the three of you, she's going to guard only two of you from other forces aside from Akuma. This should be easier for her since she's already gotten experience in that field and she was trained with normal weaponry more often before Innocence. Not only that, the masquerade requires occupants to have, at least, two guards on them because of crime reports that have been around lately." Komui turned his attention to the serious girl again. "Do well in that, especially guarding my little sister."

"No problem, sir." Rue replied honestly, giving Komui a brief salute. "I'll do my best."

"Well, you can't do this alone, though. You need one more person to help you." This made her blue-gray eyes narrow, but she couldn't complain for that Komui was her superior, which meant she had to obey his orders without question or protest. "Well, any volunteers?"

The director's eyes turned to the experienced Exorcists.

"I'll pass," Kanda broke the silence with a gruff tone. "I'd rather do something else than work side by side with the shorty. Besides, we're already with each other often with training, anyway, so I don't want to be babysitting again while I'm on missions." The dark eyes shifted to her rival, but the strawberry blonde girl still kept silent, refusing to give into his taunting.

"What about you, Lenalee?"

"I think I'll pass too." She voiced out, confident that she had her reasons. "While you know I protect people from Akuma, my only line of defense is my legs because the Innocence. And I don't think that'll provide much protection from other things aside from Akuma, big brother."

With a nod to his younger sister, the Chinese male finally looked at the redhead.

"Lavi?"

"Well…" Rue looked at him at the corner of her eye, still not talking, as he started to hesitate at the offered task. "I guess I'll do it. Besides, since this is a formal party, I'm not good at dancing, anyway."

"Then, it's settled. Lavi, you'll be working with Rue on bodyguard duty. Is that all right with you, Rue?"

"It's fine, Sir." While this may have sounded like a convincing answer, there seemed to be other things on the girl's mind.

"One more thing to tell you guys before you leave." Now, he was grinning widely, which made the four shot puzzled looks at his direction. "Since we all know masquerade means disguise, traditionally, this kind of party would use masks and costumes. While that's still going on, there's also a twist to it in this particular banquet you're going to."

When they didn't speak up to clarify, he decided to continue, the grinning still there.

"At least two of you need to crossdress; whether it's those among you four who are playing the roles of nobles or bodyguards, it can go either way. Not only because this is a new way of disguising, thus giving more options in masquerade, but it's also because there's a contest going on whether the people could tell the gender or not of those who are… Well, androgynous."

Everyone's reactions varied when they heard this: Rue kept her face neutral, but she wasn't worried; Lavi's eyebrows rose so high, they had disappeared into his red bangs; Lenalee was mixed between excited and nervous on who among her group would do it; and Kanda looked stuck among disturbance and disgust.

"Rue's already doing that, though," Lavi pointed out with a slight grin. "When Yuu (who scowled upon hearing his first name from the cheerful teen) and I went to get her when looking for Innocence in France, she was already like this. The majority of the Black Order, save for the very few of us, couldn't—and still can't—tell that she's actually female."

"That is a good point." Flashing an amused smirk in return, Komui nodded in agreement. "All right, we got one person, so who'll be the other?"

"I don't know, big brother. I know I can't do it since my hair is long. Even if I do tie it up and hide it under a hat of some sort, it's likely that it'll still loosen up. And with the way my body shape is, I don't think I can pull off being a boy."

"Count me out, Komui. I already took up the job of defender since I wanted to skip out on dancing. No way am I going to disguise myself as a girl, that's just pushing it."

Four pairs of eyes turned to look at the last person in the room, who had not been paying attention to the commotion until all went quiet and he felt their stares.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Kanda asked suspiciously, not liking the dread that was forming in his stomach.

* * *

On the train ride to Germany, there was disorder right on the horizon. And by that, it meant one in the hysterics category.

As the three Exorcists and lone Exorcist-in-training began to change into their disguises, there was a commotion in the girls' changing room.

"Now, WHY am I the one who's going through this now?!" Kanda spat in annoyance, trying not to move as Lenalee was putting make up on his face.

"Because you were a suitable option for crossdressing and Lavi and I wouldn't go with it since we're not sure how to appear as the opposite gender." She replied calmly, now putting dark eye shadow and eyeliner. "Hold still, Kanda."

"Che! That doesn't mean that you had to resort to this!"

"Well, remember that I mistook you for a girl when we were children." She was now grinning amusedly. "I don't mean to anger you, Kanda, but you're suitable for this kind of thing. You should've been born a girl, honestly."

He only growled at her in return, not amused, letting the Chinese female do her work. If this was Lavi speaking, he would've threatened him with Mugen right off the bat and chase him down like no tomorrow. If Rue were to see him like this (which she would soon), he'd shoot her a glare to prevent her from making any commentary; of course, knowing her, she won't let him off easy when seeing him wear something so… Feminine.

"All right… Done." Her grin widened, making Kanda turn around, so he could look at himself in the mirror.

He almost didn't recognize himself, but he was still unhappy for looking so girly. His long, dark blue hair was tied up in a bun, his long side bangs curled around his face, as a sparkling tiara was sitting on his head. His face was white with powder (Lenalee had overdone the make up by one inch thick in order to cover up the fact on Kanda being obviously male), black eye shadow and eyeliner on his eyes. There was faint blush on his cheeks, dark red lipstick on his lips.

That wasn't compared to the outfit, though: his dress, up to the ankles, was pink with frilly ribbons and sparkling diamonds were embedded into it. The skirt flared out, making it poofy, so he had to be careful walking in it. Because of how his body was built, he had to wear a purple corset with pink lace to hide his masculine figure as well as having a light blue shawl to hide his broad shoulders and his Adam's apple. Underneath his white, satin glove covered hands, his nails were coated with lavender nail polish. For the jewelry, silver bangles clinked onto his left arm; ruby clip on earrings hung from his ears; and a red garnet ring was on his right hand's ring finger. To top it off, matching pink high heels were on his feet.

"You know, if we take off the jewelry and the whole outfit, and put you in a female kimono, you might be able to pull off being a geisha." Lenalee teased, trying not to laugh on Kanda's dilemma, which made the samurai glare at her from the mirror.

"Don't even think about it."

"I'm not!"

Lenalee, on the other hand, was wearing a flowing, purple dress that was below the knee (near the ankles). She wore no corset since she felt no need to do so, but she did cover her shoulders with a yellow shawl. Dark green high heels were onto her feet. Dangling, citrine earrings sparkled in the light as a sapphire pendant hung from her neck. A gold charm bracelet settled on her right wrist.

Her dark teal hair was tied back in an elegant half-ponytail with a dark blue ribbon, most of her hair falling down to her waist, as her side bangs were curled up into ringlets. Dark blue eye shadow was over her eyelids while mascara complemented her long eyelashes. Her face, too, was covered with powder and blush; the only difference was, unlike Kanda, the powder was applied lightly. Neutral colored lipstick—if you looked carefully enough—covered her lips. While she didn't have any gloves on, her nails were colored mint green.

"Oy!" Impatiently, Kanda banged his fist on the nearby wall, the sound transferring to the males' compartment. "Are you done in there yet, stupid rabbit?!"

"Almost, you idiot." Instead, Rue's voice answered, snapping back at him. "These things aren't really easy to change into, you know. Besides, Lavi's already done dressing up, so he's guarding the door outside for me now."

"Tch, easy for you to say, my feet are already killing me by wearing these high heels! I don't even know how women put up wearing these things!"

"Not my problem."

"…Wait a minute." He halted in realization, a certain thought occurring to him. "Why are YOU in the boys' side, anyway, shorty?"

"Isn't it obvious? I have to disguise myself as a boy. Besides, the majority can't tell I'm female, anyway, so I tend to change into the boys' section often than not."

"But, do you even know what you're getting yourself into?!" Whether to be horrified or repulsed (or Hell, even be just a little worried for her as much as his pride wouldn't allow him to confess such), he didn't know, but hearing her say that made him freak out. "Most men, including the stupid rabbit, are perverts! If males, those who are strangers, discover you're a girl— Hold on, does that mean you've been bathing in the males' segment at the Order too?!"

"Kanda!" Lenalee yelped when he suggested such a thing, mortified. "Do you even know what you're asking?!"

"Are you a fool?" His teammate responded promptly, a hint of annoyance in her voice. "I may be a tomboy, even going so far as to look the part, but I've no need to enter the boys' bathroom. Seriously, you make it sound like I'm confused of my gender!"

"Well, that's because it looks like it! Your hair is short and there's no body development to give away anything. For Christ's sakes, I couldn't even tell you were female because of how flat you are!"

Immediately, from the moment those words left his mouth, silence fell upon them. Lenalee was terrified, wide eyes accompanied with both hands clamped over her mouth. Kanda, while unaffected by this, couldn't help but feel sudden regret in his mind and trepidation knotting his stomach. Rue had gone quiet, but one could only fear what would come out of this. From how loud the samurai Exorcist had said this; surely, this hadn't gone unnoticed by Lavi as he obviously overheard the whole thing.

"…Excuse me?" She finally spoke, an odd tone in her voice.

Her turned female colleague didn't answer, but the negative vibes were growing as he sensed a strong, killing aura from the other side of the wall.

Both Asians were wondering what the outcome would be, but it had been answered as the door from the other side had slammed open. There were two voices outside: a concerned, scared male; the female's cold with a hint of murderous intention. They couldn't hear what was said from outside, but from the sounds of it, Lavi and Rue were having a struggle amongst themselves.

Opening the door feebly, Lenalee poked her head out of the room to find the lanky teen restraining the other female with both arms as she quietly tried to fight off his grip. From her facial expression, Rue's face looked impassive, but her blue-gray eyes were surely burning with an undeniable anger.

"He didn't just go there…" The Chinese girl heard through the other girl's gritted teeth, voice muffled. "Lavi, let go—"

"Rue, calm down!" The redhead didn't know how much longer he could hold her down, her violent thrashing was getting difficult to contain. "Kanda didn't know what he was saying, so just—"

"Bullshit! He knew damn well what he just said, so I'm going to slay him, and no, I don't care if he's my teammate!" While trying to keep her voice as calm as possible, there was still a rough edge that gave away a threat. The older boy could only groan in frustration as he was using his full strength not to let her get loose before she would commit a homicide attack.

Turning her head to Kanda, Lenalee hissed, "You really made her angry now, Kanda. You better get out now before she decides to come in here and make a bloody mess."

"Not in this getup, I'm not!"

"Oh yes, you are! Those two were going to see it, anyway, whether you like or not!" Grabbing his arm, she shoved him right out the door, closing the females' changing room right after.

When the samurai finally made his appearance, the two stopped their squabble and stared at him. After a moment of such a heavy silence, it was broken due to the hysterical laughter that came from none other than Lavi. He couldn't help himself; the sight of the grumpy swordsman looking so womanly, moreso than the boyish-looking girl that was still in his arms, was hilarious.

Getting out Mugen, Kanda warned darkly, "If you tell anyone else about this, I'll make sure you won't get out of the train alive when we go back to the Order after this mission."

It was hard to take his admonition seriously, though, with the outfit he wore. Lavi cracked up harder, finally letting go of Rue, as he was rolling on the floor and grabbing his sides with laughter.

Lenalee covered her mouth with a hand, trying not to show the fact that she was smiling, but her dark eyes were surely showing the humor she was getting out of the situation. Rue, on the other hand, didn't know what to think when seeing her teammate like that. While she didn't smile or frown as always, her mouth seemed to turn upwards if only a little bit, faint amusement tickling her inside.

After many minutes, Lavi had calmed down, getting up from the floor. Though done with his laughing fit, he was still into a bunch of snickers, wiping the tears that came out from his eyes. He dusted off his outfit for the masquerade, which consisted of the following: a scarlet red and gold pinstripe shirt with ruffles and a pair of sleek, black pants. From what he saw with the other costumes when picking, he modified his, so it didn't look so frilly. Lastly, he was wearing black leather boots.

"Wow…" He managed to wheeze, a hint of laughter still in his voice while he clutched his aching sides again. "You really do look like a girl right now, Yuu. You should've been one."

"Oh, shut up about that already!" The other male howled with frustration. "I already let Lenalee slide off easy with that remark, but I'm going to kill you if you say any more!"

"That's it; from now on, I'm calling you Yuuri!"

"ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?!"

Lenalee was suppressing her laughter at this point, holding back in order not to let it escape. Rue was fixing her the black and white ruffles of her dress shirt. Her pants were a contrast between white on one leg and black on the other. Long, leather boots that came with her outfit matched her half colored pants – each boot the opposite color to the material on her legs. If Deathtrap and Lifeline were on her hands now, it would've complemented the outfit well with her black-and-white theme.

"…I was right," she stated quietly, which got the three looking at her. Her dark eyes gazing at Kanda, she spoke again, "I was right, you really do look more like a girl than me."

His anger still strong as ever, he countered with a glare, "While you may have pulled off looking like a boy, at least I'm not SHORT! That's the only flaw you have when it comes to looking like a boy and that's the height factor!"

"Do you want to die?" She was glowering right back at him, lips curled into a snarl.

"Like Hell I'm letting you kill me!"

Just when they were going to lunge at each other, the other two Exorcists grabbed them to bring both under control before they were able to have a brawl.

"Kanda, don't pick a fight with her," Lenalee whispered angrily, restraining the boy by the arms. "You guys are supposed to be teammates, not enemies!"

"Rue," Lavi began calmly, holding his strong grip around the smaller girl. "I told you not to let Kanda get to you, right? If you keep struggling like this, I'll have no choice but to—"

"Next stop, Germany; I repeat, next stop is Germany!" The conductor dictated in a loud voice. Without much effort, Kanda released himself from Lenalee's arms and jumped out the window at the first opportunity as if sensing something about to happen. He was quite right on that for that, somehow, Rue managed to get herself out of the redhead's restraint and followed the swordsman out the window, chasing after him.

The aforementioned two could only sigh, exchanging looks as they went out the train cart's door and followed after them, hoping they wouldn't kill each other before they arrived.

* * *

The weather in the Germanic highlands was cold, new snow falling from the sky. It was late afternoon now, the clouds tinged with a lighter red, indicating that a sunset was being painted onto the sky before it would fade to the darkness of dusk. Bouncing along the mountain side track, the roomy stagecoach that the Finders were operating moved at a steady pace through the white woods.

The trip to the destination was spent through silence, which made Lavi and Lenalee very relieved for that they didn't want Kanda and Rue to go at each other again. When they had found them, though it took a while because of their agility, they were already scuffling with one another. That was why the seating arrangement was the way it was set up now; one side of the carriage was Kanda and Lavi, the other being Lenalee and Rue.

Because of using up her energy like that and it had been a long trip, Rue had ended up sleeping moments after they had stepped into the cart. Tired, as she surrendered to her slumber, she curled her body up, arms tucked under her knees and her forehead almost touching them. The Chinese girl had no objective to her resting, letting the younger female rest her head into her lap. She was humming softly, one of her hands stroking the other's strawberry blonde hair. Rue's vacant, though serious, face looked peaceful when asleep.

Kanda frowned, shaking his head as he sighed, "I can't believe she's asleep at a time like this. What if Akuma were to attack us right now?"

"It's been a long day for her, Yuuri," responded Lavi softly, who ignored the death glare the swordsman-turned-swordswoman gave him for calling him such a name. "Besides, I'm pretty sure the Akuma aren't around yet or Komui would've given us the information immediately during the briefing. But, we do have to take precautions just in case. After all, this is an Innocence case."

"Better to let her rest first than to fight in bad shape later on." Lenalee pointed out, nodding in agreement. "It looks like she hasn't been sleeping well these past few days, anyway."

The one green eye rested its gaze on the sleeping girl, the boy's face softening a little. Rue did look tired. What could've kept her up these past few days? Moreover, why didn't she say anything to anyone about it?

_Rue… You're not telling us anything. If what Lenalee says is true; then, you could've rested on the train too. _Lavi frowned a little in concern. _Why didn't you say anything?_

His glance found its way to her lips, which looked to be moving as if speaking. Hold on… Was she actually doing so?

"No…" Rue murmured softly, her serene face now frowning. "No, stop…"

_What…? Rue? _It didn't seem that Kanda or Lenalee heard her, only he could. _Rue… What are you dreaming about?_

* * *

"_How dare you!" There was a sharp crack that pierced the air, splash of blood following after. "After all we've taught you, how come you've gotten caught before you could finally kill your target?! As an assassin, you have to kill as quickly and quietly as possible!"_

"_I'm sorry," a voice apologized calmly, a small figure curled up onto the cold floor. As another blow came on her, she didn't flinch nor cry. She just took it in as it was. "I'm sorry for failing again."_

"_Don't lie! If you were truly sorry, you would've done your job like you were trained to do! After providing you with food and shelter, along training you in order to defend yourself, you think you could repay our kindness like this?!"_

"_Please, excuse me for being a failure to you." She mumbled solemnly, her blue-gray eyes, though hidden, looked lifeless. Lashings rained on her again, but she continued to endure them. "I'm sorry for being this way."_

"_Mere words won't save you from this chastisement, Rue." The other voice said in a dark whisper. "Until you learn to be an efficient killer, you'll keep suffering like this and rightfully so!" _

_She could feel its presence again, ready to feel another infliction. But, it never came; however, she did hear it crack onto flesh._

"_Y-You!" The voice cried out in alarm, off-guard. "What are you doing here?! I thought you were out on your mission in China!"_

"_I was and I'm done with it now." A male voice responded calmly, but she could sense a tinge of anger in his voice. "Now, I want to know what the Hell YOU are doing, hurting Rue like this! Stop it! She hasn't done anything wrong at all, so leave her alone!"_

_When Rue finally got the courage to look at what was going on, she saw that a body was shielding her from the incoming weapon. It was a fifteen-year-old boy with short olive green hair, his cherry eyes burning with rage all because she was getting hurt like this. Because he had saved her from another blow, his face was cut from it, blood running down his cheek._

_But, why her? Why was he going so far to speak defiantly a higher up and defending her?_

"_Riley…" That was the only word that escaped from her lips._

* * *

Wide eyes shot open as she gasped sharply, Rue was really awake now. There was a sound that came out her mouth, something between a sigh and a growl. Cold sweat ran down her face again and she couldn't stop shaking, her body burning from the pain it still remembered.

"Damn it…" Rue swore under her breath, resting her head onto something firm as she closed her eyes again. Wait a minute… Where was she?

"You're awake, Rue." A familiar voice reached her ears. Blue-gray eyes opened again to see that she was on Lavi's back again, arms around his neck and face onto his back as he held her legs. "We needed to get out of the carriage since we were nearby and Lenalee couldn't wake you up… So, that's why I'm carrying you right now."

_If she couldn't wake me up… That means they all heard what I was dreaming about. _She felt her insides growing cold, face pale. _Damn it… I didn't want them to know. I hope they didn't hear anything important._

"You sounded like you were dreaming of a nightmare, though." She heard the redhead murmur this softly, his green eye giving a hint of concern behind his red feathered mask. "Are you all right?"

Remembering what she had told him last time, she replied in return, "I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You're shaking right now…"

"That's because I'm cold." This was a blatant lie. "Because of dressing in my disguise, I didn't bring my cloak with me. It's back in the Order."

He kept quiet, considering it, even though he was debating in his mind on whether she was telling the truth or not. Without calling her on it, he had released her legs for a moment. While Rue gave him a confused look, he still said nothing, unwinding his trademark orange scarf that was around his neck. Still having a portion of it on him, he wrapped the other end of the long, soft muffler around Rue's own neck.

"Lavi?" Her voice was puzzled and surprised, blue-gray eyes looking at one green eye.

The boy only smiled warmly in return as he held her legs again, asking gently, "Well, you did say you were cold, right?"

She nodded slightly, unsure of what to think because she already made it clear to him not to be kind to her anymore unless he really meant it. She, too, questioned his actions on being genuine or out of a whim.

"…Thank you." Rue finally said, resting her face on Lavi's back, keeping her arms secure on his neck.

"You're welcome."

Seeing two figures up ahead, the boy went towards them, still giving the smaller girl a piggyback ride. Since they weren't in the stagecoach anymore, the four were greeted of the wonderful view of the German wilderness around them. Even though it was winter right now, it looked like a beautiful winter wonderland to explore. To one of the sides of the flat hilltop lay a vast valley of deciduous trees and a bottomless, winding river that swerved continuously into the valley.

"Beautiful…" Lenalee murmured breathlessly, awed at the landscape. Since it was starting to get dark, while it still snowed, the clouds cleared up. Evening's dark blue swept the canvas of the sky now, revealing numerous stars. "If we get the chance to come back here again, I want to see what it looks like in the spring time."

"It'd be nice to live here." Rue agreed, her eyes taking in the stars, remembering her times gazing out at them after she was done with her assassinations.

"Check out that castle, though." Lavi remarked, his mouth almost dropping open from the magnificence of it.

Dark grey stone walls surrounded the outside of the castle – at each corner of the wall stood a tower with long, pointy turrets. At the front of the outer wall stood a spacious pergola, which lead to the main castle. A trio of tall, thick towers rose up into the sky – pillars reaching up into the sky as if ascending into the very heavens. It was unbelievable, this castle – it was like seeing something out from a legend.

"Welcome to the Winter Masquerade." A guard greeted them, letting them pass through.

* * *

Hitomi: Ahhh, another chapter finished. Whew! I thought this wasn't going to get done before tomorrow. XD And you see that I did make Kanda crossdress, hehehe. The fact that I made his name feminine from Yuu to Yuuri cracked me up as I was typing this.

Hehe, well, you know I wanted to do something like this for a while. And oh, just in case it wasn't obvious, since this is a masquerade, they are wearing masks too. It's just that I haven't pointed it out (with the exception of Lavi) since I'm still trying to think of mask designs for Kanda, Lenalee, and Rue.

I began to elaborate more into Rue's past of the nightmare she dreamt of in Chapter VII. But, that segment is still not complete just yet. Remember that something happened after Riley said that line, so I still need to poke into that.

Kanda: Get back here! *chases after her with an unsheathed Mugen* I'm going to kill you and you made Mugen girly too! *the katana's handle has light colored ribbons tied to it*

Hitomi: You know you like it, Yuuri! *RUNS*

Kanda: CALL ME THAT TO MY FACE AGAIN, I DARE YOU!

Hitomi: Thank you for reading! Please, review! *gets out before Kanda can hurt her*


	11. Snow Waltz

Hitomi: Thank you again for the reviews, favorites, and/or alerts! But, I would appreciate it more if you guys review often because I want to hear what people think of this story. I just want to know what everyone thinks since… o_o Well, you guys have been putting my story on favorites and/or lately, so I want to know why you like this story so much. Seriously, though, thank you all for thinking my writing is good and I would love to hear feedback from you.

Hmmm, I'm still trying to figure out stuff here when it comes to the mission… That includes the possible Innocence that resides in the masquerade. But, let's see what's going to happen. But, I already told you the power, so… You'll see—or you probably already know—where I'm going with this.

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

* * *

**Unravel**

**XI**

**Snow Waltz**

[_Everything's cold that it burns._

_While it's supposed to be warm inside,_

_The memories we refuse to remember makes us feel colder._

_Everybody, dance like it's the last day we will ever dance._

_Remember to move forward in our lives with no regrets,_

_Even if the past and our doubts continue to haunt us._]

* * *

Everything in the castle was luxurious as the four made their way inside. In the wide hallways, the walls were decorated with exquisite paintings and intricate design. There were important possessions lying around such as ancient artifacts or rare antiques. The floors were marble and had red carpeting.

The ballroom was very spacious with lots of décor with a platform in the center. The room was brightly lit by a giant chandelier in the ceiling while a big fireplace served its purpose of warming the room up from outside's chill. There were a lot of guests for the masquerade doing a lot of things such as eating, dancing or just talking and the room was abuzz with chatter.

It didn't take long for a certain redhead to go off into that mode of his…

"STRIIIIIKE!!!" Lavi cried out in utter bliss, his one green eye looking like it was filled with hearts as he whizzed over to numerous ladies in the room, ready to sweet talk them.

"Too late…" Lenalee sighed lightly, shaking her head in exasperation. Kanda only scoffed, annoyed that his companion finally went into his flirtatious side, though it really couldn't be helped as he was always like that. As for Rue, she only merely raised an eyebrow at this, only confusion settled within her. Oddly enough, she was still wearing Lavi's whole orange scarf around her neck, which made the bright color stand out in contrast of her black and white attire.

"He's like that when there are pretty women around," the Chinese girl explained to the befuddled female, shaking her head again. "You'll get used to it."

"Well, it's the first time the shorty has seen the stupid rabbit like this, so it's no wonder she reacted like that." The grumpy male shook his head too, as if agreeing on having the same opinion, as he was clearly embarrassed on how he had to put up with such an idiot like Lavi.

"I see…" Those were the only words that came out from her mouth as she watched the older teen flirt with one attractive woman to the next. "So, Lavi is like this when beautiful females are around…" Though, still puzzled, her expression furrowed into such a serious scowl.

"Rue?" Lenalee's voice sounded a little concerned. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it. It's just as Kanda said, I've never seen him like that before, so I've to learn to get used to it. This…" The question she asked came out to be puzzled and awkward, the girl's expression one of unease. "Happens on every mission, doesn't it?"

The other female could only laugh at what she said, grinning widely as she replied, "Well, this is if he spots girls on missions. It depends, really."

"Would you mind having a dance with me, miss?" A voice interrupted the conversation. The three turned around to find a handsome young man with a mask on asking. He was not facing Lenalee; instead, he was looking at Kanda.

"Urgh…" The male samurai looked irked at such a request, ready to bolt out of the room. Nonetheless, he answered with a high voice as if making the effort to sound more feminine. "No thanks, I'd rather stay out of this. Hate to break it to you, but I'm not all that good in ballroom dancing. Besides, it's not my thing to do."

"Oh, come on, _Yuuri_!" The dark teal haired female Exorcist urged her comrade, which made him shoot a dark glare at her for calling him that while the boyish-looking girl was feeling the faint glee on the fact her rival was being looked at as a total female. "You know you want to. Besides, masquerades are supposed to be fun and you need to have fun. Really, you're very grumpy for a female."

"But, Lenalee—"

"Go! We didn't come here all the way from England for nothing. And besides, we have Lavi and 'Rafale' (Rue decided to let them use her assassin name as her alias for the mission) watching over us, so we have nothing to worry about." She shoved "Yuuri" to the young man, who took "her" gloved hand and lead "her" to the ballroom floor. Kanda—Yuuri—shot Lenalee another glower before stalking off there. "Have fun!"

"How long do you think he's going to last?" Rue asked curiously, though she was still amused. "Really, I've a feeling he won't last for long because of the high heels."

"That or let's hope the poor guy doesn't meet Mugen if he dares to provoke 'Yuuri.'" The other female agreed with another laugh.

Another young man came up to ask Lenalee this time to dance, which she accepted. Before she went off to the dance floor, she whispered to Rue urgently, "I think this'll be a good time for you to look for the Innocence now. But, make sure you come back here, so there'll be no suspicion. Besides, you and Kanda still have to participate in the crossdressing guessing contest, so make sure to come back before it starts."

"Noted," she nodded curtly. "Be careful, though."

"The same to you, Rafale." With that, she left the strawberry blonde girl alone to waltz.

As "Rafale" made her way to the buffet table to eat, she spotted the Bookman apprentice with a gorgeous brunette who was a bit older than him. She was shamelessly flirting with him while he grinned in return and they were located in a somewhat secluded section of the ballroom. Though a little unsettled, the young assassin felt quite incensed for some odd reason when seeing the girl trying to seduce her comrade.

Perhaps, this was because that she was barely present with females when being in the Underground Society. Of course she did interact with them, but she never thought women could be like the brunette in front of her. Even though she had not much of an interest on interacting in female affairs; she still felt that they had class and decency, at least.

Perhaps, it was because of her tomboyish personality. Because of not being around females so much when fulfilling assassin obligations, adding in the fact that the majority of the Underground Society are male, she wasn't taught how to be a proper lady. But Riley sensed—and even told her a few times—that even if she were to live normally and not go to extremes, he just couldn't see her being so feminine. To Rue, that comment had always been taken into consideration as a compliment of sorts.

Or perhaps, it could also be because she just doesn't like flirty women or men (Lavi and, respectively, Riley being the only exceptions), period. She didn't mind people flirting at all in actuality, and it's not like she understood the concept of it in the first place, but if the female—or male—in question was trying so hard to win the boy's—or girl's—affections to the point it could be put off as aggressive, desperate, and/or just flat out bothersome…

That was another story altogether.

Already eating away at her food, Rue went up to the pair. Shooting the brown-haired female a serious look as if telling her to go away, said-female walked away with an angry huff and a glare to the boyish-looking girl—though this stranger was unaware that Rue was female, anyway—while winking at the redhead over her shoulder.

"Women…" The thirteen-year-old growled sourly when the older female was out of audible range, shaking her head as she was helping herself to her meal.

While laughing at her remark, Lavi pouted playfully as he whined, "Awww, Rue! Why'd you have to go scare her off like that?! Seriously, I was just about to claim her as my lover too!"

"Bah. It wouldn't have worked out and you know it as well as I do, Lavi. You're an Exorcist, and if you would've called that a potential… Hm… What's the word…?"

"Relationship? Is that the word you were looking for?"

"Well… I guess." She scratched the back of her neck uncomfortably, not really knowing where he was getting at for she had never experienced such a thing, just only observed it. Of course, just analyzing it didn't help matters either since she truly doesn't understand it. Bearing that in mind, she continued to eat a scone. "As I was going to say, you're an Exorcist, and if that would've bloomed into a potential 'relationship' of sorts, it wouldn't have worked out, anyway."

"That's a very good point…" His face drooped sadly at the reality of her words, but he brightened up again as he stated with a grin, "Then again, I would've made it last just for tonight because of the mission and all."

"Isn't that being rather… Tactless, though?" She frowned again, eating away at her slice of meat pie. "Not to be a guilt tripper, of course, but…"

"Oh, come on! When you put it like that, it's like I lose either way!"

"That's because you will, given the fact it's a lose-lose situation, and that's what makes it inevitable with whatever choice you make."

"Smartass…" He growled playfully as he messed up her hair, to which she made a face in return that almost looked like a pout. _Almost._

"I'm just saying the truth."

"Yeah, I know. Oh yeah…" The Bookman trainee was smirking now as he took a sip of champagne. "I know that Lenalee's all good with this, but as for 'Yuuri…' How's 'she' holding up?"

"Well, as far I know, 'Yuuri' is on the dance floor right now." There was that expression again, one would swear on it that Rue was smirking because her rival was being tortured in the worst way possible. "Why do you ask?"

"I just want to know how 'she's' doing with all of this."

"Well, I already told Lenalee I bet 'she' wouldn't last long because of the high heels. 'She' was complaining about them earlier on the train ride heading here as you recall."

"Ah, I see, and that's true. Well, at any rate, at least I got blackmail on him. He already knows I won't let this go for a long time."

Nodding in agreement, the two companions were in silence, watching their surroundings. Occasionally, they looked over to check on Lenalee and Kanda and they, too, were doing okay. After a while, finishing her dinner, Rue broke the silence.

"Lavi."

"Hm? What is it, Rue?"

"I'm already done eating and Lenalee told me that, since the contest isn't commencing just yet, this is a good time to check on the Innocence. That is, if we can find it."

"That is, if the Innocence exists in the first place." Getting himself off the wall he was leaning on, Lavi removed his currently small hammer from his pocket and held it cautiously in his hand. While Rue didn't activate Deathtrap and Lifeline, one hand rested on a sheathed dagger securely.

Together, the two left as discreetly as possible, making sure they had disappeared without a trace less people were to suspect.

* * *

"I think it may be up here." Rue concluded while the duo climbed up the stairs of the highest tower.

"Given that we've been going around this gigantic place, this is the only area we haven't checked yet." Lavi commented with a weak laugh, his exhalation short, since he was a bit fatigued from searching around the palace.

Looking back as she was ahead of him, the girl went back down the staircase with a serious face, peering up at him because of consideration of their height difference.

"Lavi, you look tired…"

"Eh?" Seeing her frown, the Bookman apprentice smiled, shaking his head as if telling her not to worry. "Don't look so grim about it! It's not like I'm going to die or anything, so don't make such a face as if I'm about to. This is nothing, really!"

"But, we haven't had any stops to rest a bit since time is rather crucial. We're on a mission, after all. Still, it wouldn't hurt if we had a small break to catch our breath."

"You're right about that, but don't act like I've gotten severely injured or something. I'm fine, okay? So… Don't fuss so much. I don't want you to get stressed out over something small." He brushed past her, indicating this was the end of the conversation, continuing on walking up the spiral stairwell. He didn't seem to say it in a cold way or tried not to make it that way, he was just saying it to reassure her; but, there was a sense that his "Deak" persona was still present all around him even now.

A small sigh escaped from her lips, still serious blue-gray averting their gaze to the ground as she trailed behind the older boy quietly. Once more, there were traces of emotions she didn't understand about at all and she couldn't help but feel them because of her companion. In thought, she was trying to realize what feelings were stirring up inside her by recalling the lessons of sentiments from General Tiedoll, which she still had been under session of.

_Th_is _feeling… It comes up when a person would see another person acting differently from their normal selves. By differently, it would probably be neutral or bad._ Rue reflected, remembering the sessions she's had so far with the General._ Like those times when Komui would have this look on his face when he's overloaded with paperwork or when Lenalee would be the opposite of her usual self. Kanda, he's always been in a bad mood or maybe that's just the way he is, but something tells me he wasn't always like that…_

_Lavi… I've seen two sides, your good and "bad" sides… Which one are you using right now? Just a moment ago… It was bad, right? Or were you trying to be indifferent? Or… Was it because you feel you should toughen it out?_

Catching up to him, Rue grabbed Lavi's arm, which made the redhead's body jerk in surprise. He looked like he was about to say something when he looked back at her, but he was speechless when he saw the smaller girl draping said-arm around her shoulders. It took him a while to even say anything.

"What…?"

Without looking at him, just looking straight ahead, the girl only replied softly, "…Even if this isn't enough to kill you, you shouldn't push yourself too much. It's not wrong to take a rest for just only a few moments."

He couldn't say anything to that, still off-guard, feeling her small hand clasping softly on his wrist.

"I'm not… Letting you overexert yourself. This may not be the outcome of your death, dying of exhaustion and all, but I refuse to let you get tired. What if Akuma were going to attack us right now? You wouldn't even have the strength to fight with your Innocence and what then?" Her eyes flickered to darkness, as if remembering a bad memory, but they had lightened again with an unknown emotion. "If you're not ready for battle when you need to be at full power; then, you would be dead ten times over in the fray. Being unable to prepare yourself is bad; but, getting ready when you've not even well rested to your full potential is worse."

"Rue…" Still, he couldn't say anything. Though confused and still astonished, he looked to be rather touched. "Are you… Really worried about me? Why?"

_So, that's it._ She finally realized, knowing what the feeling finally was._ General Tiedoll would tell me about the definition of worry or, to make another synonym, concern. I've felt it a few times when seeing others being in less than high spirits… Even around Riley back in the old days, but I've never understood emotions that time._

"…Yes." She stated bluntly, supporting the boy's weight as she still kept her eyes forward, matching their steps together as they resumed moving up. "And that's because… You're important to me. Now, lean on me and continue on like this. I know we have to get moving fast, but I don't want you to waste all of your energy. Let's get up there slowly…"

He blinked, unsure if he heard right. But as he did as he was told, using the girl as his support, her face looked serious with sincerity while bearing with his weight on her much smaller torso.

_"You're important to me." _Her words echoed into his mind, replaying over and over as he looked at her with a kind expression. _That's the first time I've ever heard her say something like that to anyone. I think she's trying to say that… It's because I'm her friend and that's why she's helping me like this. _

_Even though you seem intimidating or unapproachable to strangers, even though you're always serious and straightforward, and even though you can't express yourself well because of the environment you grew up in… You really are a good person, Rue, no matter how much you don't express it. _

"Lavi?" Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts, seeing puzzlement forming in her stormy eyes.

"…Thank you." He replied back quietly, a small smile on his face.

Without thinking of anything to say, she only nodded briefly in return, still intending to reach their goal. It took them a little while longer to get to the end, but they finally did.

What they didn't expect was what had happened as they neared the door. As they were approaching closer to their objective, about to see if the Innocence was there, Rue loosened her grip from her comrade's wrist and released it, her body falling on the floor as both hands immediately clutched at her light colored hair.

"Rue?!" Lavi yelled in panic when he saw this, letting himself hit the ground as he knelt by her side. "Are you all right?!"

"Shit…" The alarmed male heard her hiss out a curse, her already tight fists clenching into a strong grip. "Damn it, I don't want to remember any of that… I don't want to remember anything…!"

_"I don't need a weak assassin like you if you're going to keep making mistakes!"_

_"If you mess up again, just be prepared to get punished for it. You know how I can't stand those who are weak. They're better off being dead."_

_"I don't care if you're hungry or tired right now, even if you're not voicing it out. If you don't complete your usual training, you're forbidden from eating later."_

_"Remember your duties on the day you've been brought here, Rue. Your purpose in this life is to kill and only kill. Throw away all emotions because they will only be a distraction and a nuisance to you. With such trivial things, they will become your downfall in the line of obligation. Now, be a good girl and kill those who go against us." _

_The days before I entered the Underground Society… I don't want to think…_

The memories may be blurred in her mind, but the dialogue was still there. Rue was breathing sharply, hissing and cursing quietly as she did so. She was shaking violently all over, suppressing the urge to vomit from the power her recollections were holding over her.

As Lavi was about to reach out to her, certain reminiscences also unlocked from deep inside him as well, the presence of Deak now overwhelming him with the constant reminder of his obligations. He felt sick when hearing the voice of the Bookman elder in his head while his 48th persona was at the sidelines, rubbing in the cold facts.

_"As a Bookman, there is no necessity for a feeling called heart."_

_"The moment you've decided to become my apprentice when you've thrown away your real name… Just know that the only condition I have is to not get attached to people."_

_"So, I see you're slowly being pulled away from your objective… You know how it is with us when it comes down to have even a little sliver of attachment for someone. Come now, we're leaving this place first thing in the morning and going elsewhere. I ordered you over and over again to not interact with others so intimately, so do as you're told."_

_"People are just droplets of ink on paper, caught up and written in an endless book that we call life. When it comes to the Bookman clan, we only need history in our lives. We eat, sleep, breathe, live, and sometimes, even die for history and nothing else. Always bear that in mind since you're under my command now. Remember not to get too involved with the war or with others, we're only there to record what shapes the world."_

_Damn it, this again… For as long as I can remember, I've been following Gramps to the ends of the earth, jotting down centuries' worth of history. All the while, I've done as he's told, not to get attached to people. It's painful to even recall now._

_Every day, it's been getting difficult to stay neutral…_

The historian-in-training was feeling a headache throbbing strongly, the voice of Deak constantly mocking him in the dark recesses of his mind. His right eye—covered by the black eye patch—was beginning to sting now, which caused him to even mutter his own swear or two under his breath.

"I… We…" He heard the female besides him struggling to speak. He looked over to her and saw her vacant face; however, her eyes were dark now, holding a trace of something he couldn't decipher. Slowly, the hands fisting her hair uncurled themselves while her arms fell loosely to her sides. "We can't go any further to what lies beyond the door. If we do, I'm sure we'll… We'll…" Right now, she was trying not to let her blank expression break, no matter what.

"Rue…"

"If we do…" Her eyes grew even darker if ever possible, her mouth forming a hint of a grimace. "The mystical force here will unlock our pasts even further. We can't enter here alone, not without Kanda and Lenalee because they have to know too. It's too powerful for the both of us to face…"

Slowly getting up, though he could feel that his legs were still weak, Lavi kept himself standing without making a reply to what his companion just said. Giving Rue a look of concern, he held out his hand to her. Confused, seeing his outstretched hand, the girl realized she was still on the floor and brought out her own hand to reach his. As she reached closer, her fingers hovering over his own, she intended on letting him take it except her fingers twitched a bit and withdrew involuntarily, a sure sign of her hesitation.

"You don't have to hold back," she heard him chuckle, a gentle smile on his face. "It's not like I'm going to bite, you know."

"I… I know that already, Lavi. You don't need to tell me that." She suddenly blurted out sternly, shaking her head furiously. After stalling for a few more moments, she finally took her hand into his, helping him hoist herself up.

"Come on, we have no time to lose now." Without even waiting for her to say something, the older boy tugged her by the arm and the two of them went downstairs. "We have to report to Kanda and Lenalee what we just experienced."

"L-Lavi!" She stuttered, surprised by the sudden commotion, as she was trying to keep up with his strides. He took no notice of her fussing, unaware that she reacted like this due to the fact that their hands were still linked together as he led her down.

_His hand is bigger than mine. _Rue wanted to smack herself for thinking such a thought. _Well, of course it is! Lavi is male, after all…_

_But… I feel odd. I guess it's because it's the first time holding hands with another male other than Riley_. _Though, it doesn't change the fact that, while it feels strange, it's… _

_It's warm. Lavi's hand is warm…_

* * *

"About time both of you came back, you idiots!" Kanda shouted angrily the moment the two reappeared in the ballroom. "If you guys hadn't arrived sooner, I would've hunted you down and make sure you paid for testing my patience!"

"Why so violent now, Yuuri? As a lady, you should have more fortitude as well as courtesy." Lavi cracked a grin as he saw the female "swordswoman" ready to get out Mugen for such a taunt.

Lenalee exclaimed with a low voice, in between snickers, "While you guys were investigating on the Innocence's whereabouts, Kanda here kept getting dragged to the dance floor by so many males. Well, I told him to go with it to make the time pass by quickly. But, as you've obviously noticed, he's not too happy now, especially because of him being in high heels."

"Was that why?" Rue shook her head, feeling rather self-righteous towards her "older brother" figure for once. "So, the girly looking boy couldn't handle the pain, after all…"

"Do you want to die right now, you boyish looking girl?" The samurai gave her a threatening glare. "I can just gut you with Mugen right here and now."

"Not my fault you have to disguise as a girl, so I'm not taking that threat seriously."

"I didn't volunteer for it, you know!"

"Again, not my fault. You have to stay like that for the rest of the night, Yuuri, and you've no way out of it unless we're done with this mission."

The Bookman apprentice just grinned widely at this exchange between the two, bickering rivals while the Chinese female just shook her head amusedly.

"So," Lenalee began again with a serious tone this time, casting a look to the two "bodyguards" she had given the task to. "Did you two find any abnormality within this place?"

The redhead began to explain what had happened when they were at the staircase earlier, the much younger girl just giving one word replies of agreement. At this, the dark green-haired Exorcist frowned a little at the report, making note of it.

"From what you two have told me; then, chances are that that would be the Innocence's power. If you guys were able to recall your pasts when you were approaching that unclosed door, but you weren't able to retrieve it right away because of recalling…"

"We better get it quickly." Kanda noted with a serious face. "If we don't get it soon, the Akuma will. Somehow, we have to find a way to get the Innocence without anyone trying to poke their noses into our business. Though, I honestly don't know how the stupid rabbit and shorty didn't get interrogated once they exited their way out from here."

"That's true. However, the real problem is how we are going to get through that door without getting c—"

"Ladies and gentlemen, the crossdressing guessing contest will start in a few moments! Would the contestants please gather at the back of the stage? Thank you!"

The four companions looked at each other when this was announced, each exchanging the others glances.

Lavi was grinning widely now at Kanda as he laughed quietly, "Well, well, Yuuri, it looks like you have to go up there and let people speculate on what gender you are. Let's see how many people vote you for female more than your original gender."

"Why, you conniving, little—! Damn bastard, when we're done with this mission, I'll definitely kick your ass out of the highest floor of the Order and make sure you're dead!"

"Kanda, don't say that!" Lenalee scolded him, purple eyes giving him a stern look. "If big brother Komui, General Tiedoll, and Bookman were to hear that, oh dear… They're not going to approve."

"Che! Like I care what the old geezers have to say to it, I'm still going to do it!" As the normally pigtailed female was going to shoot back a retort on how Komui wasn't old, the sullen Exorcist stalked off to the platform, his high heels clicking madly with each step.

"And there he goes, being his usual, short-tempered self…" Rue sighed noisily, facepalming as that same hand slid down her face. "I just hope he won't kill anyone in the process."

"He was about to beat the males to a bloody pulp, though." Lenalee clarified with a short laugh at her breath. "It was because he was requested to dance with them countless times that he grew irritated quickly. Since he was also dragged there almost the whole time we've been here, he's also complaining about how painful his feet are as they've been in high heels for so long."

"Ah, well. What can I say? Yuu does look good as a girl. It's not like I've taken his threat seriously, anyway." Lavi stated with the wide grin still there. "Because I already know that's the way he is. Besides, it's fun teasing him a lot this way!"

"One day, Lavi, you're going to pay for it." The serious girl gave him a calm look. "If you keep doing this, I won't be surprised if he does go out of his way to kill you one of these days."

"I don't know how he even escapes it… Really, it's like he's one inch away from Death's door every time he provokes Kanda and escapes unscathed."

"Girls, don't talk as if I'm about to die any time soon because I'm too young for that! Not only do I have to accomplish my goal on becoming the old man's successor, but I want to woo as many beautiful females as possible!"

Lenalee giggled at Lavi's outburst, knowing that he had a point. However, she stopped as she noticed something peculiar.

"Lavi?"

"Eh? What's wrong, Lenalee?"

She pointed boldly, confusion and surprise etched on her face. Not knowing what she was referring to at first, he only raised an eyebrow at her behavior. However, it had finally hit him as he looked to the direction where she was pointing. When he saw, he was starting to go red because he had forgotten he was still holding Rue's hand from the time they came back into the ballroom when looking for any signs of the Innocence.

"S-Sorry…" He mumbled bashfully, causing Rue's head to perk up to look at him. She, too, had been unaware of it when she realized Lavi was intending to go back (though, as you remember, she protested on it before) and was about to ask why he was apologizing until she saw their hands still clasping together.

"Y-Yeah, don't worry about it." She nodded, her expression impartial but her eyes averting to the floor as she let go of his hand.

"Well…" The other girl was trying to break the awkward atmosphere that was building up. "Good luck in the contest, Rafale. Let's see if you or Kanda will win this. Who knows, maybe both of you may be tied the winners since you're going to confuse people so much." She was grinning amusedly, feeling hopeful for both of her teammates.

"I know… Thanks." Ending it at that, the tomboy walked past the two, heading to the platform.

"Lavi." The redhead turned towards his female companion, his face still red with a bright blush. "Did something happen between you and Rue?"

"No, Lenalee. Nothing happened." He answered a little quickly, not looking at her straight in the eye, but still going to be honest. "It's just that after I grabbed her hand and led her down here after discovering that there was Innocence. I've forgotten that I was still holding her hand until you pointed it out."

"Is that so… I see."

Though she turned away, he could still see a hint of a grin on her face.

"Lenalee… Don't tell me you—"

"Well, you did say nothing happened between you two, right?"

"It's true! You have to believe me on that!"

"I know, I know." She was still grinning widely, though. "But now, I'm just a little suspicious about it."

And the redhead only groaned in response, giving up on convincing her otherwise.

The ballroom was loud with gossiping now as the contest began to commence…

* * *

Hitomi: DONE. *dies*

Okay guys, sorry I haven't updated lately. I was busy with prelim exams all week here and stressing out on other stuff, so I apologize for the wait.

I'm not going to talk about what happened in this chapter for now since I've a party to prepare for in a few hours. That and this took so much time to write, now I'm just a bit lazy for writing out elaboration on some stuff. *SHOT*

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed reading the chapter! Please, review~ Feedback is really appreciated.

Also, look forward to next chapter… I'll be putting in action, hehe. XD And can you just imagine Kanda fighting in a dress…? *snickers*


	12. Scarlet Snowdrop

Hitomi: Holy crap! *falls over* When did I get this amount of reviews?! Honestly, I wasn't expecting this at all! I love to thank all of you who reviewed so very much, especially hashire for giving me constructive criticism for each chapter.

But while I appreciate the feedback, hashire, I'll make it clear that you're wrong… Rue is NOT a Mary Sue. When creating her, I was avoiding certain factors that would make her a Sue. I didn't describe her in a way that most Sueauthors would (powerful to the point she was undefeatable, drop dead beautiful to the point boys would drool over her and girls would envy her, loved by everyone while nobody couldn't find themselves to hate her, boys would fall in love with her at first sight, etc.). Rue doesn't apply to any of those at all.

Also, it's pretty hard to make an OC of any fandom without making them a bit Sueish. So, consider looking back on the definition of Mary Sue again before calling out on it because, as far as I'm concerned, Rue isn't one. And even she was, the worst she could be is a Partial Sue because I worked hard on her personality and looks and tried avoiding what makes a Sue as much as possible. So, I've already taken anti-Sue measures.

Haha… I better not let my readers down now. I'll do my best in this fanfic. Mind you that I'm still going to develop a lot of things as I write along. I also really need to start planning when to skip to two years later AKA when Allen joins the Order. I think Chapter 20 would be nice, but I've a feeling that would be pushing things a bit and you guys would complain of me possibly dragging this. But, I do want a little more development, so yeah.

And looks like an unexpected visitor will pop in this mission. I wonder who it is.

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

* * *

**Unravel**

**XII**

**Scarlet Snowdrop**

[_Something that pure is asking for trouble and_

_The shadows will stain the night with dark red blood…_]

* * *

"Looks like nothing's wrong so far," a voice commented with a lazy drawl, bored hazel brown eyes glancing at the castle occasionally. "Seriously, it's like they're having it a little too easy in there what with the Innocence hiding in a place where a party is going on. Why did Supervisor Komui send us along with the Exorcists on this mission again…?"

"Edina, I'm going to say this as politely as possible: kindly shut up. You've been bitching about this for the past hour or so and it's getting redundant as well as tiresome. And to answer your question for the umpteenth time already, it's because we're Finders and we have to report to the Exorcists if we see anything suspicious, be it Innocence or Akuma. But, since we've already made reports about the Innocence here, we're looking out for Akuma now." Another voice snapped agitatedly to the other, letting out a frustrated moan because of putting up with such idiocy.

"But, it's so boring AND cold out here!" Seventeen-year-old Edina whined indignantly, shaking her head of wavy, dark brown locks to emphasize that she was fed up with her assignment. She got up and started to pace back and forth impatiently, stomping her feet to show that she was throwing a temper tantrum. "If I knew being a Finder was going to be this dull, I would've refused joining the Black Order and stayed put in Australia! Then, I could've done whatever I wanted without ever having to suffer like this for the rest of my life! Maybe, I would be in this particular banquet right now and have some fun instead of being stuck out here with you and doing this stupid job!"

"And what, let you continue on living your life as the close-minded, spoiled brat you still are now?" The other laughed sarcastically, taking a drag of his cigarette and watched the exhaled smoke and his white breath evaporate into the chilly air. His light blue eyes looked at her direction, glaring coldly with annoyance and disgust clearly there. "I don't think so. Sorry, _sweetie_, but that's not how the world works. This should be a lesson of reality—or, how you're looking at it, life giving you a bitchslap—to such a sheltered, unpleasant child like you. Realize that not all people are as well off as you are, so quit acting like a self-centered snob just because you happen to be rich. The world doesn't revolve around you and the Black Order is no exception to that."

"Hmph!" She went up to his face, her hands on her hips as she made a snooty expression. "Why shouldn't it be about me? I'm the one who's suffering out here in the frigid cold, stuck with you and wasting my time, when I could be in my luxurious, warm home and not have to associate with commoners like the majority I've met so far! You, Armando, are no exception to this either!"

Turning away from her and directing his eyes to the sky, the male took another inhale of tobacco, wisps of smoke seeping out from his lips.

"You idiot," Eighteen-year-old Armando made a sound of disapproval, dusting some snow off of his walnut red brown hair; cold, pale blue eyes leering at the girl once more with revulsion. "I never gave a damn about our statuses to begin with. The point is you're not in your precious home anymore and this should be a lesson that it's not like most of the world asked to be poor; sadly, this is just the way things are. You're just lucky you were born in a rich family or nobody would like to put up with this nasty personality of yours."

"Nobody would want to put up with me?! Hah! Then, what about Supervisor Komui?! You can't tell me he hasn't dealt with me because he has!"

"He's probably just being nice since he's like that with everyone. For all we know, you could be annoying him."

"Yeah, like I'll believe that! Probably, he fell under my charms and decided to be nice!"

The male Finder snorted at this, again remarking mockingly while rolling his eyes, "And the day he would fall under your so-called 'charms' is the day when Kanda would actually smile."

"You make it sound like it's impossible!" Edina huffed crossly, throwing her arms up dramatically in the air.

"That's because it is! I told you that the majority of us in the Order, and most of the world population, aren't as well off as you!" Armando argued back, now tossing away his cigarette on the white ground and stepping on it with his foot. "If we of the less fortunate piss you off so much, why don't you go leave? I'm getting sick and tired of your constant complaining and this is only your first mission as a Finder."

"Being a Finder is so stupid, anyway! I told you, I'd rather be surrounded by luxury instead of freezing myself out here!" With that, she stormed off, quite annoyed with her colleague.

"Keep this up and you might not even live by tonight." His voice sounded oddly disconnected, causing her to freeze in her tracks by mid-step. Without repeating himself, the male walked past her with an indifferent air.

As she was going to say something, he looked at her over his shoulder, shooting a cold glower.

"No, I'm not concerned for you on whether you live or die; in fact, I really don't give a damn at all." Armando stated calmly with a straight face, making Edina feel mixed in between shock, anger, fear, and maybe something else. "I'm reminding you again that we at the Black Order are in constant danger because of the Earl and the Akuma, so we end up dying often than not. So, stop acting like a drama queen as if you're the only one who's truly suffering because this is probably your first experience with hardships. Trust me, your shallow ramblings of pain and woe are nothing compared to others', so quit harping about anguish and torment because you know nothing on what true affliction really is."

Turning his back to her, he resumed walking around to make inspection of the castle. As the brunette grumbled strings of curses while he went away, there was one more thing the male Finder had to say to her that needed to say or she wouldn't learn.

"By the time you're near Death's door, maybe you'll learn not to be so high-and-mighty and not look down on others. Whether you survive or perish, I don't know and I don't care. But, I will tell you this: stop acting like a pampered child and grow the Hell up, Edina."

The feelings that stirred within her came crashing down along with reality as the cold-hearted Finder left her alone. Whether it was to let her do whatever she wanted or to let her face impending death around the corner, one could only question his motives.

However, it wasn't long before she felt a presence right behind her, which made her tense up nervously. With no weapon or anything to defend herself with, she began panicking on what to do. When she looked over her shoulder to see who it was, she felt fear escalating in her veins.

"Good evening, young miss."

* * *

Meanwhile, the ballroom was loud with voices, be it gossiping or otherwise. The crossdressing guessing contest had been going on for a while now (with events going on here and there – most were skits or fashion shows, which obviously involved crossdressing of the opposite gender). Most of the participants had been eliminated due to the fact that the majority of the audience had already guessed their true genders, be it by the contestants' mannerisms during the events or those very few in the crowd who were perceptive to tell apart on who was male or female.

However, certain people had been giving them a hard time on guessing…

"Why am I not surprised that we didn't get eliminated yet?" Rue questioned quietly to the one besides her, blue-gray eyes supervising the noisy spectators in the ballroom.

"Call it a hunch," Kanda grunted back as he fought the urge to wince in hurt, giving her a side glance. Growling in annoyance, he was still on the stage and standing, feet throbbing with immense pain because of the heels. He was so very close to strangling anyone with his shawl if he didn't get out of these bloody shoes soon. "I think we stand out way too much."

"Maybe so, I guess it's because we disguised ourselves a little too well to begin with. Our usual appearances prove that perfectly by how we normally present ourselves."

"Hmph, I bet you the stupid rabbit is laughing his head off at my dilemma right now. Lenalee, I can't say, though I know that she wouldn't forget about this kind of thing so easily, so she's probably finding this very funny too."

"Not surprised." The composed female was fighting the urge to smirk. "You really do look like a female, even without crossdressing. I think it's due to your hair length and that you actually do look like a pretty boy."

Shooting her a look of warning, the male samurai replied with a biting comeback, "You shouldn't talk, shorty. You're supposed to be female, and yet, you're pretty much boyish from head to foot."

Snorting a little, much to his surprise, she just waved her hand dismissively as if telling him she obviously doesn't care.

"You're still my rival, don't forget that. Just because we're in this predicament together doesn't mean I'm beginning to acknowledge you as more than my opponent. So, if you make me angry, I'll be calling you _Yuuri _from now on after we're done with this." This sent his jaw agape, which immediately clamped shut as he gritted his teeth in anger.

"Grrrrr… You're such a cheeky brat!" He spat infuriatingly, shooting her an evil glare. "When we get back, I'll make you pay for that in training!"

"Then, I look forward to it. You already know I'm not afraid of you and I know you're a challenge. So, I don't mind." She shrugged, still keeping her eyes up front.

Grumbling something incoherent, he turned back to face the audience.

The young announcer was dazzled by the circumstances that had taken place, his voice booming to the mass, "So now, it's come down to this! Who will win this contest? Will it be the feisty Yuuri?!"

There were a lot of cheers and wolf whistles, which made Kanda facepalm because of such idiocy. All the while, he sighed exasperatedly, ready to unleash Hell on them. He could've sworn he heard a certain companion's voice root for him. Scanning the room, sure enough, he found a certain Bookman apprentice basically enjoying this. The dark green-haired female besides him was only grinning, but she was anticipating as well.

_I'm going to kill the stupid rabbit and Komui when we go back. _He thought at the back of his mind with a motivation to kill, making note on sharpening Mugen later on.

"Or will it be the icy Rafale?!"

More cheers erupted, to which Rue gave no reaction to, her dark eyes filled with something unreadable. The only thing you could probably figure out was that she acknowledged this was with one's careful observation: they would swear they saw her nod a little bit. Seeing Lenalee cheering for her while Lavi gave her a quiet, kind smile, the emotion in her eyes was slowly revealing itself a bit more.

_To be in this kind of thing, it's a different air compared to being in the Underground Society banquets… I wonder what this feeling is._

While people expected the outcome, the other two Exorcists spotted a familiar someone at an insolated corner. With a ragged breath and bloodstained clothes, Lenalee's eyes widened to see the person in such a condition.

"Armando?!" The two ran up to the male Finder, shocked to find him like that. Lavi's voice was urgent, not liking the dread that began forming within him. "What's going on?!"

"Lenalee, Lavi…" The male wheezed, clutching in his arms a passed out Edina. Whether she was just unconscious or dead, that was still unknown, but she was also covered in blood. "You've got to get the Innocence now because we just encountered Akuma. Also, there was someone that both of us were not expecting to see at all, so it's best you take the Innocence and get the Hell out of here as soon as possible."

This made the Chinese female narrow her purple eyes with a mix of worry and suspicion.

"Who is it?"

"And the winner of the Winter Masquerade's contest is—"

Shattered glass interrupted the host's declaration. Now, the ballroom was thrown into chaos with people screaming and running as Level 1 and Level 2 Akuma made their way in and attacked. Immediately, the thick smell of blood could be picked up in the atmosphere while the Akuma began their onslaught. Armando ran for it with Edina in his arms, trying to find a good place to hide in for the meantime.

With Kanda and Rue jumping off the stage and going to their comrades, the four were trying to think of a plan.

"All right, it's like this." Kanda barked at once, activating Mugen. "Lenalee, you're the fastest out of all of us, so you get the Innocence. But, you're not going alone. Over my dead body I'm letting you unless you want Komui to unleash Hell."

"Don't worry about that," Lenalee nodded back quickly. "I'll bring Rue with me."

"All right," Rue agreed with a nod of her own, her face serious. "I'll keep watch over Lenalee."

"It's settled, then." Lavi grinned, activating his hammer Innocence to its giant mode as he got ready. "I'll be stuck with Yuuri for the time being."

"I told you not to call me that!"

The four began to separate in the pairs, making sure the Akuma wouldn't get to them all at once. Before setting off, Lenalee ripped off the skirt of her dress. Now, the length of it was above the knee.

"Was that supposed to happen?!" The redhead called over his shoulder, grinning all the more widely as he whacked away at Level 1 Akuma.

"Pay attention, you stupid rabbit, unless you want to die!" The samurai snarled irately, casting his Illusion spells on both levels of Akuma.

"Well, the woman at the store did say the skirt's detachable, so I'll have no problems using my Innocence now!" The fourteen-year-old female yelled back with a grin, activating her Dark Boots as she hightailed out to the highest tower of the castle.

Rue silently followed her with an agile pace, both daggers out in case anyone was to interfere, watching her comrade's back. Her hands began to glow with that aura she had seen countless times before, but she was not confused with its presence unlike the first time.

"Vanquish enemies and protect allies in my hands, Deathtrap and Lifeline! Innocence, activate!" The former assassin cried out as the fighting gloves replaced the auras on her hands.

* * *

Well, they knew that getting something important like the Innocence was not without the price of intervention. It was not only Akuma that came to stop at their path, but the castle guards as well. When they saw the female duo heading to where the Innocence was, the sentries panicked and went after them with the mindset of the Exorcist pair being thieves.

As Lenalee took care of the Akuma while going in the hallways, Rue trailed the other female closely whereas battling it out with the guards.

Earning a moderate cut at her arm from a jabbing spear, the assassin only grunted in pain, making sure to mark her foe dead by aiming her dagger at the jugular vein. Successfully, attacks ceased as blood sprayed from the fallen corpse.

"Thanks for watching my back, Rue!" Lenalee called from above, killing off Akuma with her Tempest Waltz technique and dodging Akuma bullets while she was at it. "And Komui was right; you are skilled with your daggers."

"Well, I do need to watch over you because I don't want Sir Komui to be disappointed in me." Though with numerous injuries, she kept on fighting, stabbing another guard relentlessly until making sure he was dead. "That and…"

"Yes?" The other female dodged reflexively, dropkicking a Level 2 Akuma in midair.

"…Nothing." Sighing, finding another guard heading towards her, she was busy giving him a sparring match. "Man, too much interference, but this does come with the job."

With a laugh of agreement, the Chinese girl gave a hard kick to the Level 2 Akuma's face, but not before earning an injury on her abdomen.

Lodging a dagger to the throat from behind, Rue felt the weight of the lookout crumble under from under. Getting off the cadaver and sheathing the bloody knife, but keeping the other out, she ran up the stairs with Lenalee by her side. With no sentinels meddling anymore, all they had to do was to deal with the Akuma, which they handled nicely.

Feeling irritation getting the better of her, fire conjured from the fighting gloves as she helped the other Exorcist kill off Akuma without any problems. Though her power was still weak, the least the Exorcist-in-training could do was help build up damage to make destroying the monstrosities easier.

"Glad to see that your Innocence is developing well. Looks like Kanda's training paid off, after all." Lenalee commented with a slight smile, which turned to a wince from pain. "Ow…"

"Are you all right, Lenalee? Where are you hurt?" She was alert, a deep frown on her face, checking her comrade's body for severe injuries while both decided to sit down to temporarily rest.

"Mm, just the stomach, that's all. Obviously, a few cuts and bruises here and there too, but nothing serious."

As she said this, Rue gave her a look as if to tell her something. Sensing what it was, the other girl lifted her skirt, so she could expose her stomach. Though unfazed of such an injury, it still didn't look good. From the Akuma's power, the girl could sniff a faint smell of burnt flesh and there was a deep cut that intersected with the Exorcist's navel.

Feeling strongly relieved that she still took precautions, the Exorcist-in-training dug into her pouch to get out ointment, gauze, and a thick bandage. Quickly applying ointment on the burn and gauze on the cut, she slowly wrapped the bandage around Lenalee's belly. She firmly tied the white binding, making sure it was secure in place, letting the dress fall back down. Both got up slowly, so not to hurt themselves more.

"Thanks, Rue. This will do fine until we get back at the Order. But…" It was the pigtailed girl's turn to frown now, concerned on how the other was sustaining her injuries. "How are you holding up? You don't look well."

"Trying to hold on, though I feel like I'm about to run out of energy." The tomboyish female replied quietly with a shaky breath, struggling to focus. "Or maybe it's because I feel faint right now."

"Yeah, come on. We have to hurry." Grabbing her gloved hand, the two went up the staircase warily. "The sooner we get the Innocence, the better things will get settled."

Rue nodded silently in reply, not minding on falling behind Lenalee.

_Damn it. _She started cursing in her head now, feeling the familiar presence of nostalgia wavering inside her as they neared the door. _I have to resist remembering what happened. I have to ignore it, pretending it doesn't bother me. Right now, we have to focus on getting the Innocence. Just don't mind it._

Lenalee's shaky hand reached to the doorknob, feeling her own past unlock from the back of her mind.

_"I don't want to go to the Black Order, I don't care that I'm able to control Innocence or whatever it is! I want to stay with my brother! Let me go, let me go NOW! KOMUI, SAVE ME!!! BIG BROTHER KOMUI!!!"_

_"Matron, these boots are so heavy__…__ And so cold__…__ I don't want to be burdened with the task to save the world."_

_"Kanda… Is this what it's like to be an Exorcist?"_

_"That's it! Since it's come to the fact you've tried to attempt suicide countless times, we're going to tie you down! You're an Exorcist and you wield Innocence to take out the Akuma that plague the world! That's your job!"_

_Ugh, was this was Lavi and Rue were talking about earlier? _Lenalee inwardly cringed, feeling overwhelmed by remembering, but all the same twisting the doorknob and opening the door. _Then, it's definitely Innocence. I don't want to recall my past either…_

What greeted the two pairs of eyes was darkness. But, as the two cautiously went into the room, the room was lit up with numerous candles from ceiling to floor. From what Rue could observe carefully, the reason for the numerous candles was because of mirrors in the room. Even so, in spite of the dangerous situation they were in, it was breathtakingly beautiful to capture the image in her eyes.

"Wow…" Lenalee voiced out her exact sentiments, eyes aglow from the room's luminosity. "Beautiful."

Looking around, the strawberry blonde-haired girl found something that caught her eye. In the middle of the room and softly glowing from the candle lights was a book on top of a small desk. White and hard covered, black and gold formed into delicate, intricate designs all over. On the upper part of the book's spine was a hint of a cross.

"I think this is it." Rue called to Lenalee, who was on another side of the room, picking up the book.

"Is it?" The other approached, examining the tome. "Well, the cross is there, so this is definitely it. Come on, we should meet up with Kanda and Lavi and get out of here."

Nodding, Rue held the book securely in her arms. Looking over her shoulder, she took one last look into the room, and then, closing the door on her way out.

As the two descended down the stairs, they heard an eerily cheerful voice.

"It seems that Innocence has been snatched out of our hands by some pretties…"

Both instinctively turned their heads at the voice, finding a fat, purple skinned figure wearing a long, brown coat, white gloves, and a top hat. He was grinning widely, wide enough to even be called creepy or borderline insane, but it surely had evil intentions behind it. The glow his small spectacles were giving off was only amplifying that vibe, but one could see carefully that his inhuman, yellow gold eyes were filled with an unfathomable evil.

"That's…" Lenalee mumbled with a hint of fear, frozen on the spot, unsure of what to do now.

_That can't be… The Earl of the Millennium is here? No way… _Rue thought with uncertainty, her blood frozen at the sight.

* * *

Hitomi: DONE!!! FINALLY DONE!!! *dies*

Okay, I started off the chapter with the Finders because I haven't forgotten about them. Edina was actually inspired from someone I know in real life, this being the only way to get back at her for calling me an idiot in the Filipino language. As for Armando, he was based off of nobody, but I wanted his personality to clash with Edina's. Whether Edina will live or die in this fanfic, I don't know~ *sadist*

You shouldn't be surprised that Kanda and Rue were the finalists in the contest, really. XD They just stand out way too much for their own good. The winner of the contest WILL be revealed, but I won't tell who it is yet.

Lenalee was the choice that made sense on who would get the Innocence since her Dark Boots make her the fastest Exorcist out of them all. While I could've picked one of the males to go with her, I decided to partner her up with Rue because I need to develop their relationship too. I needed Rue to protect Lenalee from other things AKA the guards that were going after them.

XD Besides, it's fun to torture Kanda by partnering him up with Lavi. Look forward to the next chapter with the two.

Since Lenalee and Rue were getting the Innocence, like what I did with Lavi and Rue in Chapter XI, Lenalee started to recall memories of her past too. I wasn't really sure how I was going to pull it off with only dialogue, but I'm satisfied with what I came up with. I think once the four are reunited in this mission, Kanda will get a piece of his past being remembered as well.

The room where the Innocence was hiding in was based off of the art exhibit, Aftermath of Obliteration of Eternity, by Kusama Yayoi. Look it up, it's very beautiful to look at. I was having a bit of difficulty on what shape the Innocence took. However, since it triggers memories, the Innocence being a book was the first thing I thought of.

I did hint an unexpected visitor would pop in, didn't I? So, I wonder if you were surprised or not. Looks like the girls are in trouble now. This is also Rue's first encounter with the Earl, so I've yet to see how this'll go.

Be seeing you next chapter! And sorry for being slow on updates lately!


	13. Breaking the Ice

Hitomi: Ahhh, good to see that I'm continuing to write this. I thought the writer's block may render me from it, but I really do cherish writing. I don't remember the last time I was feeling free when writing, be it fanfiction or original, but I'm glad the emotion's still there.

Thank you for reviewing and/or putting this on favorites/alerts as usual, I really do appreciate it. Let's see how everyone's going to get through this.

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

* * *

**Unravel**

**XIII**

**Breaking the Ice **

[_I wish this feeling didn't exist._

_You'll never hear those words come out of my mouth_

_But, I cannot deny from myself…_

_That I'm not strong, after all._]

* * *

"All clear over here!" Lavi shouted urgently over to the crossdressing samurai, burning multiple Akuma to ashes with his hammer's Fire Seal.

"Hrmph, about damn time, rabbit!" Kanda responded rashly, his dress continuously swishing with his rapid movements, slashing down a Level 2 Akuma without much difficulty. "How damn annoying, fighting in both a dress AND high heels. Thanks to that, I've gotten a lot more injuries than I normally should. Tch, I'm really going to kill that idiotic Supervisor of ours when we get back, I swear…"

"Awww, but you really do look charming in female clothing, Yuuri~" There was a cheeky grin on the redhead's injured face as he said this, slamming a couple of more Akuma down with his giant, iron mallet.

"And you're next right after him, idiot!" Finally unleashing his pent up fury, the sword wielder was really merciless on the Akuma from his companion's relentless teasing. It's been like this the whole time they were paired up together, Lavi persistently poking fun at him to no end for looking feminine in battle. Whether it was the way the dress's skirt would move constantly or that he was still wearing the satin gloves when wielding Mugen, or even when the heels would tap hurriedly on the floor, he was still teasing him all the same.

At least this motivated him to kill off their enemy and not the person in question who made him this way.

"What's taking Lenalee and the shorty so long, anyway?! They should've gotten the Innocence by now!"

Helping Kanda kill off the last of the Akuma, the question that was impatiently asked made Lavi frown in worry.

_Come to think of it, it's really taking long for Lenalee and Rue to get the Innocence. What could possibly be holding them up? _He was making up some potential scenarios of the girls' delay, though one other thing still bothered him._ And what Armando said earlier… He said that both he and Edina encountered someone unexpected before this attack. What could he have meant by—?_

"Shit!" He swore in horror and realization, making the dark blue-haired man startled and twitching. Glaring him a critical look, it was as if he was asking the other what he was going on about. Without even answering him, Lavi ran for it.

"Oy!" Chasing after him, Kanda was still angry but confused. "Rabbit, where the Hell are you going?!"

"No time to explain!"

"What do you mean?! We still have to wait for those two—"

"Wait?! WAIT?! If we do any more of that, they could be dead! So, let's go now before it's too late for us to save them!"

"What are you yammering about?! I don't know about the shorty, but Lenalee can handle herself just fine—"

Halting from his run for a moment, he turned around to look at the other male. Kanda was just about to say something, but the redhead's face made his anger die down and leaving him without a crude remark to say. Lavi looked serious unlike his usual self, one green eye clouded with fear and concern.

"Kanda…" Calling him by the name he preferred convinced him right off the bat that Bookman Jr. wasn't in the mood to joke around. The eye patched Exorcist made a grimace; while the emotions from before still lingered, his facial expression was dark. "The person Armando didn't prepare to see… What if it is the Earl?"

* * *

_My body won't move. _Rue thought numbly, cursing herself of being petrified. She stared back into the Earl's face, impassive, but her body refused to listen to her mind's command. There was an overwhelming emotion that took over, being the cause of Rue's frozen state, and she was very unsure on what it was. Fortunately, before they went out, the Innocence was in her pouch, but the situation was still treacherous. _Why won't you move?! This is bad; this is really, really bad…_

"Rue…" Lenalee tried to approach her (at least she was able to move now), fear and uncertainty still growing in the Chinese female, but the Exorcist-in-training only shook her head furiously to her advances.

"Rue, this isn't the time to be stubborn—"

"Just stay behind me." This was all that could escape from her lips, the tone of her voice unknown. "If I don't protect you and you die, Sir Komui would never forgive me for life."

"But, Rue—"

"I'm not letting you fall in battle… I'm not doing this just for sir's sake." She was struggling with her words now, faltering, feeling herself suffocating from that one sentiment that made her feel helpless like this. "This is also for…"

_This is also for mine. _Her mind admitted what she couldn't finish saying. _This is also for mine because I don't want to see another die._

"How sweet," the Earl cooed tauntingly with that smile still plastered on his chubby face, making the two females divert their attention back to him. "Who would've thought a cold assassin like you would have such a warm heart?"

Blue-gray eyes narrowed into slits when hearing this. Lenalee had a troubled look on her face, feeling she didn't hear that right, violet eyes filled with a shocked disbelief.

_Rue is…?_

"Don't talk like you know me personally, Earl." Rue deadpanned icily, body still unmoving. "I honestly have no idea what you're talking about when you said that."

"Surely, you jest, Rue Marucut." That irritating smile widened, making him look like a fat kid who just discovered the utopia of all sweet shops. "You can't hide anything from me, I know everything about you and your life. I know about everyone who lives on Earth; even the girl who's with you now, Lenalee Lee. Of course, this isn't the first time meeting her or the other Exorcists."

"Oh, look, we got ourselves a stalker now."

"Well, that's not nice!" There was a mock hurt tone, but the grin still there. "And here I was going to thank you for helping me too."

"Wha—" Momentarily off-guard, she quickly composed herself. "What do you mean by that, stalker?"

_How the Hell did I "help" you, anyway? _Dread pooling in her stomach, something told her that she wouldn't like where the conversation was going.

"Don't you remember? Akuma are created when there's grief for a death of a loved one, if you recall hearing this back in the Black Order. Given how you were trained into the killing profession for the 'greater good' for the sake of the world, you've forgotten that you've caused pain amongst others while trying to bring justice." The smirk was wicked now, pleased with the reaction the thirteen-year-old was having. "Thank you very much for your patronage, Rue. If it weren't for you, there wouldn't be this much Akuma for me to create."

The words had hit Rue in a way that she couldn't tell what was happening. It was quite a shock to her, her mind completely blank of a response. Her body still paralyzed with whatever it was, she didn't feel herself drop to her knees from the verbal impact, Lenalee's screaming voice far away from her. Awareness dawned on her as past memories unlocked themselves on the missions she was assigned back in the Underground Society, the emotion increasing rapidly.

She suddenly felt nauseated from the reality of that speech, a sense of impurity all over her, inside and out, as the so-called sense of righteousness she was born with was now recognized as an unforgivable sin in disguise. The feeling of morality that had been there for so long disintegrated into dust, swept away into oblivion.

_I… I helped the Earl bring Akuma into the world? _The thought rang over and over inside of her, the acidic presence of bile rising to her throat at such a horrible truth. She was resisting the urge to throw up, but she still felt disgusted with herself. _I was recruited as an Exorcist to stop them, but I've been helping this… This thing, which is considered to be our greatest foe, with its plans of world destruction all along while I was an assassin? _

"Rue!" The other female Exorcist kneeled quickly and shook the other forcibly, looking scared as she met lifeless blue-gray eyes, no reaction at all. "Rue, what's wrong?!"

_I feel sick. I've no right to call myself an Exorcist at all. _

"So, she couldn't handle the truth, after all… How sad." The Earl murmured with fake pity, still smiling.

"What did you do to Rue?!" Lenalee screamed angrily, being the one to shield Rue this time as she got up to her full height and covered her with her body.

"Nothing~ Just made her open her eyes to the fact that she was doing me a favor all along." He looked ecstatic, ready to bounce around the room with glee. "Since she's blaming herself, though why should she since she did help me, I'll give her a sympathy gift."

Spreading his arms wide, the Earl started summoning a large amount of Akuma, making them surround the place.

"You…!" The green-haired Exorcist had anger written all over her face, clenched fists at her sides while assessing the situation with horror.

"It's better than getting killed by me, right? I better go now, time to create more havoc in the world~ It was a pleasure to see you again, Lenalee, but it was quite nice meeting you, Rue." The Earl's expression turned feral, gold eyes filled with impious sadism. "I hope to see you again… That is, if you survive this. Have fun!"

He disappeared out of sight, vanished into thin air. Level 1 and Level 2 Akuma surrounded the female pair, closing in on them, ready to take away their lives.

"Rue!" Lenalee cried out from midair, darting and zipping in the atmosphere while in the process of eliminating a handful of Akuma left and right with her Dark Boots. "Rue, snap out of it! If you don't move, you will die!"

It was as if Rue was into her own world, her body forever frozen, as she didn't hear her companion. Said-companion felt she didn't have a choice, determined to destroy all of the Akuma if she wanted both of them to survive.

Then, some of the Level 1 and Level 2 Akuma noticed the motionless Rue and went over to her location, intent on targeting her and to take her life. While busy reducing the Akuma swarm, Lenalee didn't notice this until she looked at the corner of her eye. With dismay, she tried to go after them, but not even she was fast enough for them.

"RUE, WATCH OUT!"

Just as the Level 1 Akuma shot their unending bullets and the Level 2 casting spells, a swarm of bugs followed by a fire snake obliterated them at the same time and caused an explosion.

"Lavi! Kanda!" The pigtailed girl called out as she saw them, very relieved to see her two companions still alive.

"Are you guys all right?!" Lavi's concerned voice fussed as he spun his hammer, whacking away at a couple of Akuma.

"Yes, we are! At least, I am…"

"Che! Perfect timing, rabbit." The familiar, always grumpy voice of Kanda remarked idly, conjuring First Illusion: Hell's Insects again while slicing the Akuma cleanly with Mugen. "And do you mean, at least you are? What about—"

"The Akuma you just attacked were going to kill Rue!"

"WHAT?!" Green eye wide with fear, Lavi looked to where their explosion took place, the smoke still thick. "Is she all right?!"

"How the Hell should I know?!" The dark blue-haired Exorcist was angry, not believing that anyone could be so stupid just by not seeing the obvious, his skirt flowing with his movements while slicing one Akuma to the other and still gaining injuries. "She hasn't come out yet, now, has she?!"

"I'm going to go check!" Lavi ran to the clouded area, coughing while he was at it.

"LAVI, BE CAREFUL OVER THERE!" Lenalee shouted over to him when seeing him dash off, giving a somersault kick to Level 2 Akuma.

"RUE!" He shouted, receiving no reply. "RUE, ARE YOU OKAY?!"

There was still no response.

Fearing the worse, his stomach clenching with such presumptions, the Bookman apprentice still continued to look around. The smoke was clearing up now and he could see an outline of a figure. He ran over there, thoughts racing on whether she was dead or alive.

"R-Rue…?"

Sure enough, the strawberry blonde haired girl was still in her kneeling position, her back turned to him. Something looked off, though. It looked like she didn't receive any injuries or got infected with Akuma bullets from the earlier assault. Yet, oddly enough, she had a dagger in her right hand that was dripping blood from the tip while there was a cut at her left forearm.

"Rue, what did you…?!" He was aghast to meet such a sight.

Finally hearing him, she turned around and made a nod of acknowledgement, sheathing the dagger. Her eyes had life in them again unlike before.

"Lavi." The first word that escaped from her lips, her face a small frown. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Thank God… Thank God you're alive… Don't ever do that again, okay?" Relief washed over him, a hint of a sigh in his voice.

"It's all thanks to the new power I seem to have acquired."

"New power?" He looked at her as he picked her up from the ground, confused and curious. "Your Innocence?"

"Yes, you should be able to see it." Now that she mentioned it, from the angle he was standing, the light in the room seem to have reflected off of Rue in a way that made it look like she was surrounded by glass or anything that could have light bounce off from. It was as if…

"A barrier?" The conclusion clicked from these assumptions, to which the young female gave a nod to.

"Correct," she responded softly, giving another earnest nod, as she followed him back to Kanda and Lenalee's location. "I realized I was surrounded by it when I… I…"

Her slate colored eyes grew dim as she bitterly recalled her first meeting with the Earl. The feeling that was creating this barrier was still felt all over her, one that she was trying to shrug off, but it felt as if was buried underneath her skin.

Without saying anything else, she jumped into the skirmish to help the other two Exorcists. Kanda seemed to have made some sort of angry exclamation when sensing her arrival, to which his teammate responded with a shrug, as Lenalee voiced out her reprieve that the other female acknowledged with only a nod. The barrier having already faded off, only lasting for a few seconds, she was intent on battling it out with the Akuma.

As she received her injuries, she still pressed on, though it seemed that her body was still a bit stiff after what happened from before. Slammed down by a Level 2 Akuma, she landed on the floor, barely catching her balance. It was hard to control her body, the way it was. Growling in frustration, she got up quickly in time to dodge an ice spell, going back-to-back with Lavi.

"Damn it…" Rue hissed out a cuss, stabbing herself again in the same spot on the forearm as if freeing herself from the solidity, quickly sheathing the knife before it would distract her.

"Rue?" Lavi's confused voice snapped her out of her thoughts, sensing his stare on her back. Looking straight into his face, the expression he had on was concern. "Are you okay? You don't seem to be faring well right now. And you stabbed yourself again too as if helping your body to move… What happened before Yuu and I came?"

Her own expression was unreadable, unsure on telling the truth. She couldn't tell him; not now, at least. She felt that this was something that she had to handle on her own. Sufficing a quick nod to assure her emotional state, she let raw anger take over her as she started to invoke flames in her fighting gloves. Seeing this, though still sensing something wrong, the redhead decided to summon his own elemental vortex from the hammer's Fire Seal.

Their firepower combined and released simultaneously, it let loose an inferno to the Akuma mass, wiping them out. Kanda's face was impassive as he witnessed this, slicing a couple of his share of Akuma down, but he acknowledged that his partner got a little bit stronger. Lenalee flew into the air, getting rid of the last of the Akuma as she attacked them with kicks and combining them with flips too.

"Better get out now!" Kanda commanded sharply to the other three, deactivating Mugen's power. "Before more Akuma come, and unless you want to get crushed by this falling castle, so out!"

They didn't need to be told twice. They all ran as their lives depended on it, Armando and the still out cold Edina following soon after, barely making it out in time as the castle fell apart to nothing more than rubble.

* * *

All of them having changed back into their normal clothing ("About damn time! The heels were really a pain in the ass, especially in battle!" A fussy Kanda growled loudly, kicking the bloody things off as he changed into his comfortable shoes), on their long journey back to the Black Order, Lenalee began to reveal to both male Exorcists that she and Rue had, indeed, crossed paths with the Earl. Both listened and demanded to hear what happened during the time they weren't present. Thankfully, Lenalee left out the declaration of the Earl calling Rue an assassin, which she still found hard to believe.

Occasionally, Lavi would take a glance to sleeping Rue while hearing the fourteen-year-old female's story.

_So, that was why she stabbed herself. _The sixteen-year-old mused with a frown, keeping his eye on the younger female at a side glance as he gathered facts from Lenalee's point of view. _It was to stop herself from being paralyzed from the feeling that consumed all over her when she met the Earl face-to-face… The feeling was unadulterated fear, there's no doubt. She stabbed herself to replace fear with pain, so she could snap out of it and concentrate. As of now, Rue has unlocked two powers from her Innocence._

_Fire represents Rue's anger._

_The barrier, Energy, represents her fear because she felt threatened._

_The barrier started to form the moment Rue's first taste of terror settled in, but it really had been activated completely when the Akuma attacked her. It's no wonder she was like that in battle, looking like she lost her confidence… She was shaken. _

While thinking these thoughts, he found himself nodding absentmindedly at Lenalee's words, still weighing his stare on Rue. She had been asleep the moment they started to travel back to the Order. She was frowning uneasily while slumbering, probably trying to block out what she was remembering.

A couple of hours later, after lots of rest and food (though, Rue was in such a deep slumber that she couldn't be bothered being woken up; however, she did wake up when one of her companions would urge her to eat), the Exorcists and Finders arrived at their destination. Since Lenalee or Lavi couldn't wake up Rue, an aggravated Kanda grudgingly had to be stuck with the task. He woke her up rather roughly, though, which got her assassin instincts in gear (giving the same results as always, dagger to the throat followed by murderous intent and—exclusively when it comes to Kanda—death threats all around). Armando left early, not wanting to witness such a thing, carrying the unmoving Edina and going ahead to the Black Order.

While having chased Kanda out, making the other Exorcists sigh with a chorus of "There they go again," the Innocence in Rue's pouch sensed the physical presence of Kanda and activated. Not knowing this was the Innocence's power, the samurai's anger only grew immensely when recalling his past.

"_The forced synchronization of the Innocence was a success!"_

"_So, this is him, huh? Excellent… I'm sure he'll make a beneficial asset to the Exorcists' cause of defeating the Earl and his Akuma."_

"_Can you still see it? Can you still see the lotus?" _

"_It'll decrease your chance of living every time you use its powers to heal your wounds."_

Now walking back to their "home," the two "siblings" were at each other's throats again; the usual, of course. And the other two companions sighed again, deciding to stay out of their squabble less they wanted to die in the crossfire.

"I do remember telling one of you to wake me up when we arrived at the Order, but you really should consider other people's physical conditions!" Rue snapped at him coldly, twirling a dagger in her hand, contemplating on whether to kill her teammate or not. "Seriously, summoning Hell's Insects out of your impatience on waking me up was more than a little too much!"

"But," Kanda argued crossly, ready to unleash Mugen on her as he sent her a dark glare. "It's because you wouldn't wake up! And since you were busy being in such a heavy sleep, of course I was given the task of waking you up, even if I didn't want to!"

She didn't give any sharp retort to that, her mood changing completely as she stared straight ahead in thought. She stopped spinning her dagger, having sheathed it silently in its scabbard. With the way her so-called colleague pointed out the way she was sleeping, it reminded her she did so because she wanted to escape from what she had gone through. Ever since the encounter with the Earl, he seemed to have gotten her traumatized, somehow.

Feeling a heavy sense of change in the air, the older male took a quick, annoyed look at her as if daring her to make a smartass reply. Instead, he saw that she had gone completely quiet and not putting up a fight with him. Although he couldn't see her expression as her bangs covered her eyes, there was something wrong, very wrong, but he wasn't sure what.

Lenalee and Lavi sensed it too and saw that they stopped arguing. They didn't know what went on or why it had abruptly stopped, but they, too, sensed something amiss.

Without calling out on their concern, though Kanda wouldn't dare admit it, Rue walked ahead of them and saw the Black Order in her path of vision. As she continued walking, she reached inside her pouch and took out the Innocence. At the gate was Komui, waiting for them.

As he greeted the four with a warm "Welcome back," Rue just nodded in greeting and handed him the Innocence, so he could give it to Helvaska. Seeing bright orange around her neck, she had completely forgotten she was still wearing Lavi's scarf. She unwound it from around her neck, handing it to him, which he was surprised about since he seemed to have forgotten about it too.

Without another word, she silently went inside the tower and headed straight into her room, locking the door.

Worried, the Supervisor questioned the other three in his office.

"What happened to Rue? I know she's like this sometimes, but it looks like something happened during the mission…" His voice concluded anxiously, a frown mirroring that emotion.

The males told him what they knew, Lavi giving the mission's report and putting it on the Chinese male's desk. As far as Komui could theorize from the story they gave, it was obvious that they weren't around when the situation happened. He just nodded, dismissing the both of them out of the office, leaving him alone with his younger sister.

Lenalee began to give details of the memory to her older sibling, in which he only made little commentary and a lot of nodding. When she was done, he sighed sadly, a gloved hand pushing back his bangs. It was silent for a long time, no words exchanged between them.

"I think I can assume why she reacted that way as she met the Earl for the first time." He finally said quietly, breaking the silence. "Even though it's hard to see right through her, the thought I have now is telling me that she's chastising herself in her room and just reflecting about this."

Slowly getting up from his desk, Komui went to hug Lenalee tightly, in which she returned it in a puzzled way.

"You are a good sister and Exorcist… But, I think it would help if you talk to Rue as a friend about this since you were the only one who witnessed her like that." He suggested quietly, letting her go.

"She might turn out to be stubborn, though." Lenalee spoke uncomfortably as she pointed this out, though she let out a short laugh at such an opinion. "You know her already, being like this when she doesn't want any help."

"I know, but… It wouldn't hurt to try, right? Who knows… Maybe she'll end up opening up to you."

"I understand, big brother." There was a small smile on her face.

"All right, then. Getting her to let it out is your priority now!" He encouraged her optimistically, a grin on his face.

Nodding, her smile widening, she went out of his office without saying anymore.

* * *

Ever since Rue had holed herself up in her room, the moment she stepped inside, she went immediately into the bathroom and vomited in the toilet as if to relieve herself from the pent up tension of her emotions. Self-loathing and two other emotions were overwhelming her, the Earl's voice echoing ominously in her head. She threw up more, unable to think straight, sickened at the fact she had helped her greatest enemy indirectly on its—she refused to acknowledge the Earl's gender—intentions to destroy the world.

Flushing the toilet, she finally trudged out of the bathroom from what felt like forever, her body swaying slightly as she walked. Refusing to go straight into bed, feeling restless, she felt herself fell to the floor face first. Her back was facing the door and she didn't move for a long period of time, blue grey eyes staring all around the room, strawberry blonde hair obscuring some of her vision. She breathed deeply, trying to relax, the reverberation of the clock ticking being the only sound into the silent atmosphere.

_I did say as long as I'm alive, I had nothing to be afraid about. Up to now, it's still true. _Rue thought somberly, her right hand clenching into a fist. _But… _

She closed her eyes, recalling the Earl's face, which made her body tense up.

_But, I felt it. When looking into that thing's face, I felt a feeling I never thought I would experience with all of that I've been through. It was like… Like… Staring at Death straight into the face. _Rue's body quivered, fright taking over it. _For the first time in my life, I felt fear… To think that I thought I wouldn't face Death so soon, I finally met it._

Revulsion took control now as she gritted her teeth, clenching the fist more tightly to the point some veins were popping out on her flesh.

_To think I've helped that thing make its Akuma army and I didn't even know… I can't believe I did, even though the aid was hinted. Even so, I can't help but feel that I'm responsible for this. _

_S_he chuckled bitterly to herself.

_I shouldn't be called an Exorcist at all. I helped that monster's conquest and I should be punished for it._

A soft knock from the door broke Rue's train of thought, her eyes wide open the moment she heard the sound. She couldn't bring herself to get up from the ground, so she stayed down. So, she waited, waited on whoever was tapping the door to give away their identity and state their business with her.

"Rue? It's me."

_Lenalee? What are you doing here? I thought you'd be with your brother or maybe Lavi or Kanda. _

"I know you don't want to talk about… What happened…" She sounded intimidated and Rue could imagine the expression on her face, one that looked hesitant and nervous. Her voice was soft with worry as she spoke again, "But, you know you can always come to me if you want to talk about anything that's bothering you. Lavi would listen to you too, I know he would, and Kanda… Well, Kanda isn't the type to cheer you up, but he could, at least, give you stress relief by training your Innocence."

She was only greeted with no response, but that didn't mean the other wasn't listening. Lenalee was pretty sure Rue was listening to her right now.

"Big brother is worried about you too, you know? He sensed that you weren't your usual self and was wondering if you were okay. I told him everything and he seemed to understand… He's telling you not to blame yourself for whatever it is you're feeling right now."

_Sir Komui… Even up to now, you're still worried about me. Please, don't. I'm not deserving of it. Despite knowing now that I've killed for a living, you still took me in as one out of many to help defeat the Earl. I really am not suited to be one. You should know, now that you've found out through Lenalee that I'm…_

"And about the Earl calling you an assassin," her voice was so low now that Rue had to strain her head a little to hear her clearly. "If what he says is true…"

_She probably thinks of me differently now. She'll probably stay away from me. Not that I blame her. Who would want a murderer around them?_

"Then… I don't care." Her voice still quiet, it grew strong with conviction.

Rue's eyes widened from shock, not believing what she just heard.

"I don't care if you're a killer. It's not your fault that you didn't know at the time that Akuma were created out of people's grief for the loved ones that have died. It's not your fault that you were a hired gun because that was the way you had to live, to survive. It's not your fault that you didn't know killing was wrong, it was your job and you had done that kind of work for as long as you could remember.

"In spite of the wrong you think you did, that I'm pretty sure you're blaming yourself for at present… That doesn't change the fact that you're still Rue."

_You're… You're accepting me? After all of the things I did? Why…? _

"You're Rue Marucut… I don't care what other people think or say if they were to find out about this. Because… Because you're my friend and nothing's going to change that."

_Lenalee… _The other female was taken aback, feeling a new emotion just faintly there.

"That's… That's all I wanted to say." She finished weakly with her forehead pressed lightly onto the door. Rue had a hunch that Lenalee might be feeling foolish of herself because of talking when she wasn't being responsive. "I-If you're there… Just tell me if you need anything."

She moved her head the other way, seeing light under the door with shadows surfacing on it, most likely Lenalee's feet. As it shifted a little, Rue heard nothing for a while. But then, just as she was hearing soft taps on the floor about to go away, the footsteps, she suddenly felt the urge to say something. Using what little strength she recovered, she crawled over to the door and forced herself to sit up, back against the door.

"L-Lenalee." Rue called hoarsely, her voice raspy for not speaking for a long time.

A sharp clack of the boots followed by a yelp.

"Rue?!"

"I'm sorry I didn't speak earlier… I just wanted to listen to you on what you had to say…"

"I-I see… Sorry for yelling like that, I was just startled when I heard your voice all of a sudden."

"No need to apologize for that. But um…"

"Hm? What's the matter?"

Again, a period of silence followed, neither female speaking. But, Lenalee started again.

"Take… Your time…" She encouraged gently. "Take your time to gather your thoughts…"

Another sense of stillness in the air. After what seemed like ages, Rue began speaking once more, her voice raucous and quiet.

"Is it… Weak?"

A concerned frown from the other female.

"Is what weak, Rue?"

"Am I… Weak to feel like this? Is this what it's like to be weak? I… I'm afraid. To be honest, ever since we came from the mission… I've been… Scared."

Lenalee looked sad when hearing this. But, she nodded, though Rue couldn't see it.

"Ever since I met the Earl… I've been feeling fear all over that I can't shake off. And when he said that I helped him create Akuma by killing many people off when doing my assassin duties, I feel… I feel like a monster. I feel like this was the worst thing I could ever do to many suffering in this world because of the Akuma and such a sin cannot be atoned. But, most of all… I feel…"

With baited breath, the green-haired Exorcist waited. She was surprised, though, as she heard the door open. When looking up, she met Rue's face she could only feel heartbroken to see the look on the other's face. While serious as ever with that frown that would never leave her face, her eyes expressed… Something that wasn't there before. Her eyes looked pained, filled with what look like some sort of hurt. It was something stronger than guilt.

_Regret… _Lenalee read into the expression quickly, her face softening. _It is as her name means… She's feeling really regretful of what she's done._

"I… All of the people I killed, all of the people who suffered by my hands because I killed off their loved ones for the sake of 'justice…' The assassinated spawning into Akuma and causing a cycle of affliction on the rest of the world… I…!" She clenched her fists tightly from her sides, looking sadder and discouraged by the minute and shutting her eyes firmly, as she shook violently from head to foot. "I'm not strong, after all… I'm strong at all…"

Her eyes opened widely when she felt something warm wrapped around her waist, her sight meeting darkness, her fists at once loosened and limp from the strong tension. Her body still quivered intensely, though it had stiffened for a moment as it took her a while to realize that Lenalee was embracing her like a friend or a sister would. Rue couldn't see her face for that her head was buried into her shoulder; but she could still feel body warmth, hands rubbing her back to ease her, and hear her breathing, her voice.

"L-Lenalee?"

"You're not weak, Rue." Lenalee confirmed softly with a warm voice. Her arms were still hugging the other, hands still rubbing her back consolingly to make her stop shaking. "You're not weak, Rue, for feeling like this at all."

"Then… Then," Rue's voice was muffled, her head still resting against the other's shoulder. "What am I?"

"You're only human."

They stayed like that for a long time, the embrace still warm and tight to calm down the vulnerable Rue. A single tear fell out of a purple eye, Lenalee crying for the both of them.

_Don't hold this burden all by yourself, Rue… We're Exorcists and we all share the same pain._

_But, always knows that you're not alone anymore.

* * *

_

Hitomi: *DIES*

Oy… Longest chapter I've written so far, makes an new record. And I'm sorry if the ending of this chapter sucked, I didn't know how to end it!

Since both Exorcists were not strong enough to defeat the Earl, I decided to have him summon a hoard of Akuma to finish them off. At least that was the most sensible thing to do because it would've been stupid/horrifying on their part to fight the Earl on their own. And plus, Rue isn't the type to rush into things like since even she knows how strong the Earl is. Just look what he did to her!

The element unlocked from Rue's Innocence was Energy in a form a barrier that comes in as a back up self-defense mechanism should she feel provoked about someone or something. As you can see, it conjured from the emotion, fear, and Rue was quite shaken when feeling it.

As explained, that's why she stabbed herself, to replace fear with pain, so she could continue to fight.

I'm sorry if I possibly have Kanda's past wrong (and I really should've put possible spoiler warning on here in case), but that was the best I could think of.

And we still don't know whether Edina will live or not. I'm still not telling you!

XD I really should've warned at the beginning of the chapter of possible angst, but I didn't know it would turn out like this. But since Rue's encounter with the Earl made her upset in a lot of ways, I figured this could be a development in a relationship as well as Rue's personality. While I would've sent Lavi to do it, Lenalee was really my primary choice as I needed to develop the relationship between her and Rue more (and there's also the fact that the Lavi x Rue relationship already had its moment here; seriously, very funny that Rue still had Lavi's scarf on her the whole time). As you know, Rue's not open in emotions (yet), but this is probably the most helpless you've ever seen her (you haven't seen her angsting about her past or anything, admit it).

You'd think she would just mask it up and pretend nothing's wrong, but she ended up saying these things after feeling so strong about them.

As for this tidbit: "_Regret… _Lenalee read into the expression quickly, her face softening. _It is as her name means… She's feeling really regretful of what she's done._" While Rue is French for "street," it is also Latin for "regret." Hence, having this thought being written as the result, giving off a slight sense of irony. I didn't even know Rue was also a word (aside from a name) until it hit me a while back and I looked it up to make sure I wasn't wrong.

Apologies if I had made any characters OoC here.

See you next chapter! Let's see what'll happen next time!


	14. Odd, Miraculous Holiday

Hitomi: And I thank you all for the usual things: reviews, alerts, and or/favorites. Kevin-niichan, I forgot to mention this, but the reason why the castle fell apart last chapter was because… Oh, come on, with an Akuma swarm making an ambush inside, you already know that they're going to leave a mess while they're at it, be it damaging the place in question and/or making a corpse count due to how many people were killed by them.

Yeah. *grins embarrassedly* I'm sorry I didn't mention that before. *SHOT* Geh! This is what I deserve, at least.

I didn't think some dialogue was forced, I guess it was more like me having difficulties on what the characters would say while still keeping them, glaringly obviously, in character. So yeah, any OoC, I still apologize to you and everyone else. XD And I see I seem to have made little mistakes in writing again and it's not tenses this time. *groans* I guess the grammar was a bit off, huh? Sorry about that too.

Now, to start off the chapter again… This time, with something coming up and someone keeping contact…

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

* * *

_Rue,_

_Ahaha, I know you sent many letters, and it was about time that I responded to them. Sorry about the lateness of it, kiddo, but work at the Underground Society has been rather busy as of late. And considering that it's that time of year again, I'm going crazy between assassination duties AND paperwork at the same time as always. Such a life I'm living right now, even though it can be such a pain in the ass sometimes._

_Anyway, it sounds like you're in a good place, in good hands. This'll teach you something when it comes to the outside world and learning about people and society too. Since you aren't what I would call sociable, it's good that you're able to make new friends or so I'm getting out of the numerous messages I've been receiving from you. I've got to say, sounds like this Kanda fellow managed to make you angry and is probably the only person capable of doing so (shocked as not even I accomplished such a thing!). I find that hard to believe, but I still find it humorous because you never had a temper before and I've known you for a long time. Honestly, though, sounds like you got yourself a rival and work hard on beating him, especially when training together._ ("It's not funny, Riley… And he managed to do it because Kanda is just that irritating!" Rue growled under her breath when reading this, twitching in annoyance.)

_Your boss, Komui, sounds like a capable person when it comes to leadership as well as caring for his crew a lot… Though, from other things I've read of your adventures, he also sounds like a nut, be it when it comes to his inventions or just him being a crazy idiot overall. Especially when it comes to his coffee addiction, the results are just priceless. Gotta say, never met the guy, but I like him already! _("I've a feeling already that you and Sir Komui would get along so well." She shook her head, not even wanting to imagine what chaos the Black Order would be under if chances are Riley ended up getting recruited too.)

_His sister, Lenalee, sounds kind and caring for everyone at your place. I'm happy she's looking out for you too; you didn't have much female interaction back in the Underground, so it sounds like you guys get along like sisters now. Since I'm pretty sure she's more feminine than you, she'll probably teach you a thing or two on how to be an actual girl. Of course, you're fine just the way you are (I'm not saying that you should convert your personality completely, that'd be difficult for me to adjust to), but I'm saying it would be good if you learned on how girls are like. By the way… Is she pretty (of course, her brother—your boss—might kill me for questioning this)? _("Riley!" She groaned to herself, making a face and a reminder in her head to get back at him for asking when seeing him again. "Do you really want Sir Komui to sign your death warrant?! And don't make me get started on the fact she's fourteen too!")

_This boy, Lavi… Sounds like someone you could relate to a lot, even though he's still an enigma. He really is hard to read into, isn't he? You can't tell what he's thinking and whether his actions are sincere or not. I know you're good at observation and, judging from what I'm reading when it comes to your writing, he sounds like a good kid. Sure, he may have an off attitude, but that's probably because something must be holding him back. Maybe you could try to get him to open up more; after all, that's what he seems to be doing to you too. _("Maybe so, but I'm still not sure about Lavi… I still feel like I can't trust him half the time…")

_Thanks for the Christmas present too. How'd you know that I needed new gloves? I guess you know me very well, then. You know I don't like doing assassination duties in winter without any gloves to warm up my hands, so I'm glad you still remember that. I knew I could count on you. Really… Whether you can't see it or won't admit it, you really are a good kid. _

_So, you're having nightmares, huh? Are you starting to remember what happened before we went to the Underground Society together a long time ago? It certainly sounds like it, I wouldn't be surprised if you've been having insomnia for the past couple of days, then. I'm sorry, kiddo, I'm not even sure what to advise to calm your nerves and I feel helpless on that because I know you so well. It hurts me when I feel like I can't help you. _("Riley…" Th_e _emotion of feeling touched, just like that time days ago when Lenalee comforted her from what happened in the mission from Germany, was hinted in her soft voice. For a brief moment, the impassive look on her face almost appeared gentle.)

_But, I think what I'm about to tell you should help you. I think you should do what you always do when it comes to relieving your stress, be it training, drawing, writing… As long as it's anything that'll keep your mind off of the past. Try not to think about it so much._

_Well, back to being a workaholic again, haha. I really have to question myself if I'm being a masochist this way… Anyway, keep doing your best, Rue. I know you can do it. Who knows; when you see me again, you'll probably change. I'm not sure whether to look forward to that or be apprehensive, but I've to stay positive to make sure it's for the better, right?_

_Anyway, I hope to hear from you again. It's not the same without you around and I… I really miss you. Merry Christmas and make sure you stay out of trouble!_

_Your "brother,"_

_Riley_

_P.S. There should be a present for you that came with this letter, so it should be with you. Consider that as my Christmas present!

* * *

_

**Unravel**

**XIV**

**Odd, Miraculous Holiday**

[_It feels out of place without you around_

_To celebrate Christmas with._

_I'm in a group that I'm unsure on associating with,_

_But I wonder if celebrating Christmas with them_

_Would give me a meaning._]

* * *

She came back the day before from a mission, injuries all over her petite build, still healing with medicine and bandages. As tired blue-gray eyes read the letter that had been delivered in the Black Order while she was away, a new, blank book sat on her bed she was occupying in. No expression was made when she took a long glance at the book, but the smallest hint of appreciation could be seen in her eyes by very few.

"I take it that the letter you're reading is from someone back home?" A familiar voice asked fondly, causing Rue to look up when done busying herself on putting the folded letter away under her pillow temporarily.

With a nod, recognizing who spoke to her as the person took a seat at her bedside, Rue replied quietly, "Yes… This came from someone who I still consider as family before I came here. Not blood-related, but he is like a brother to me. With things going the way they are at home, I figured he was busy with duties to respond immediately. However…"

Her face contorted, twisted with a peculiar expression. While it wasn't quite a frown, she wasn't exactly smiling either. It took her a little while longer to get out on what she wanted to say properly, to which the person accompanying her didn't mind because there was an understanding that it was still a struggle for her to express emotions; be it physically, verbally, or otherwise.

"I couldn't help but feel a little… Off not hearing from him for a while." She concluded at last, a flicker of something in her eyes, the usual frown on her face.

Chuckling, the person patted her head.

"You were worried about him, weren't you?"

Another nod, another affirmation. The sentiment of worry, concern, was still foreign to her—like all other emotions—but she grew to recognize it more because of Lenalee and Lavi.

"Yes… I was a little worried… General Tiedoll."

"No need to worry any longer," the older man smiled warmly, his hand still lingering on her head as a sign of affection. "Your 'brother' finally replied to you and he even got your present. You can rest easy now."

It was Christmas Eve in the Black Order and Rue Marucut happened to be in the infirmary at the moment. She came back from Rome the day before, going out because of a mission to retrieve reported Innocence there. While she had managed to do the task as quickly as possible, there was still the price of battling Akuma. That itself was inevitable as that was part of the job.

Of course, she didn't go alone; Lenalee was the one who came along with her. While she still preferred to work alone on some parts, she didn't mind the other female's company. She was rather thankful about it too since her Innocence was still weak and Lenalee had watched her back when she needed it. The Exorcist-in-training, however, decided to take more brunt of the pests' damage because she was still taking the duty of protecting her boss's sister seriously, even though the other had fussed about the wounds she received because of the obligation.

To Rue, she didn't care how many wounds were inflicted on her body; as long as Lenalee was safe, that was all that mattered to her.

That also explained why Lenalee didn't need to spend her time in the clinic as long as Rue did, because of having fewer injuries. However, because the green-haired Exorcist felt that this was all of her fault to begin with, she decided to take up the task of delivering food to Rue again despite said-female's protests.

And so, the usual routine began to make its pace the moment Lenalee came in with a tray in her hands, no doubt Jerry's cooking was on it since Rue could smell the wonderful aroma.

"Here you go, Rue!" Lenalee exclaimed happily with a smile, setting the serving plate down carefully on the other girl's lap. The food looked delicious as ever – a hearty beef and vegetable stew, a savory onion cheese tart, garlic porkchop with rice and a side of mashed potatoes, banana pudding, and a cup of hot chocolate.

"Thank you, Lenalee." The other responded faintly, proceeding to dig into her food and knowing she was going to enjoy it.

"You're welcome." Turning to the much older Exorcist, she was still beaming. "Nice to see you too, General Tiedoll! Have you come to check on Rue too?"

"Hello, dear Lenalee!" The other smiled back. "Indeed, I have wanted to check on my 'daughter' after hearing about you two returning from your mission yesterday. Looks like she really is intent on protecting you as if she's your bodyguard as I can see she's still healing from her wounds, but I'm glad to see she's still living and healthy."

"Well, I do appreciate it that she's trying her best to protect me and taking such seriously… But, she didn't have to go to that extent. Please, remind her not to be so reckless. I don't want her to hurt herself for my sake."

A laugh was the response, followed by, "The reason why she's like that is because, from what I can tell, she looks at you as a friend now. So, she wants to look after you as much as she can. But yes, I should tell her that often… Of course, she knows her limits, so I'm pretty sure she'll able to stop herself from entering into danger that she's unable to get herself out of. Right, Rue?"

A silent, hasty nod was the thirteen-year-old's answer as she was busy stuffing herself with porkchops, rice, and mashed potatoes to make a vocal reply, which made the General laugh again as Lenalee gave her a faint smile in return.

"There's one other reason why I came in here. It's because… You know the mission to Germany, correct? When you had to go undercover by crossdressing?"

"Yes, General, I still remember it." The fourteen-year-old Lee sibling's confused voice retorted as the other female just nodded while eating her way through the soup, though still listening to the conversation. "Why, did anything happen?"

"Well… Remember the game both Rue and Yuu were in? Apparently, Sir Komui said that he got the results on who won the contest. How he managed to do so since the castle in Germany got attacked by Akuma and all, I don't know, but he got it from the party's host."

Violet eyes were wide at this piece of news while the Exorcist-in-training, in the process of eating away at her banana pudding, choked in surprise.

The moment those words had been spoken, the infirmary's doors opened with a loud bang. With a now fussing Head Nurse scolding the person for the racket, disgruntled Kanda Yuu decided not to listen as he shot a fierce look at the trio's direction.

"Speak of the Devil, Yuuri arrives." Rue mumbled her smartass statement, drinking down her hot chocolate to relieve herself from her choking fit before. The quiet remark reached her teammate's ears, in turn having him give her a dark, threatening look; however, the tomboy ignored this, sipping away at her sweet beverage.

"I knew I didn't hurt that twit of a Supervisor enough to kill him on the day we came back from that embarrassing mission!" The sword wielding Exorcist snarled loudly, fuming from the news that he had heard from Komui himself since said-supervisor wouldn't tell him the outcome. "General, I demand to know the answer I seek! Don't even think on bullshitting your way out of it either, you know damn well what I'm talking about because I can't help but think about how I threw away my pride just to act the part of a girl, even if it was just a ruse!"

"Now, now, Yuu… Don't be so impatient." The older man responded calmly, though a smile was on his face. As the dark blue-haired teen was about to make a rash remark, his face paled as he saw the livid expression on the Head Nurse's face.

"Kanda Yuu, I would appreciate it if you weren't so noisy in the hospital wing!" She shouted at him, hands on hips. "Have you forgotten that there are people who need their rest?! Even Miss Marucut over there needs it too as she's been in the infirmary often than not these days; not only from you training her to the bone, but also because she's starting to do Exorcist missions to push herself further!"

"Tch, this just proves the shorty is as weak as always if she's been here frequently—"

"Even if that's the case, she still needs her rest! The last thing she would want is for you to disturb her peace and quiet! I'm sure everyone in the medical wing would agree that those who need to stay here would want to relax from stress!"

"Ma'am Head Nurse has a point, _Yuuri_." Rue stated bluntly as she finished her hot chocolate, emphasizing on Kanda's female alias, which made him glare at her. "Really, there was no need for you to cause a ruckus."

"Shorty, you are going to get it when you get out of the medical center. Don't call me by that name unless you want your death warrant to be signed." He wasn't hiding his fury now.

"Make me, I'd like to see you try." She replied coolly, a glower of her own shot towards her rival. "For your information, I'll be the one to kill you since, in case you haven't been told, I've been doing killing for a living. I don't mean Akuma this time either."

There was a chilling atmosphere that formed from those words. As the glowers were still causing sparks, it was obvious that the change in the air was immense. Lenalee knew what Rue meant as she said this, a nervous smile on her face. The Head Nurse had gone quiet, feeling quite uncomfortable. General Tiedoll was puzzled as to what she meant by this, but shocked to hear such a thing. Kanda himself wasn't sure what to think, but because he had a glimpse of Rue's personality ever since she came in the Black Order, it was most likely that what she said was true.

"What do you mean by that?" He suddenly asked, snapping out of his dazed state, still hiding his shock quite well.

"As said before, I've killed before and I won't hesitate to do it again if need be." The calm female stated matter-of-factly as if it was nothing to her, the look in her eyes unreadable. "Don't tempt me, Kanda. You may be in harmony with your Innocence, but I am quite adept with my daggers."

_She really isn't kidding around. _He observed cautiously, keeping a sharp eye on her. _That look in her eyes again… _

As he was going to argue with her some more in regards to what had been said, a familiarly annoying voice interrupted the moment, dissipating the frosty mood at once.

"Oh, Yuuuuu~" Sure enough, the voice had a singsong tone in it—one that most people would find irritating—as the Bookman apprentice waltzed into the hospital wing with such a wide grin. "Don't think you'll be getting your answer without having me around!"

"Lavi…" Lenalee sighed, shaking her head with a small smile on her face, having a feeling that he would sooner or later get involved. General Tiedoll just smiled, knowing too that Bookman Jr. would want to know about this. The Head Nurse decided this would be a good time to concentrate on her nursing duties, walking out and muttering under her breath something or another on how this was going to turn into a disaster because of the teen bookworm. Rue was just shaking her head at the redhead's perfect timing, and his nosy ways, deciding that she wouldn't get involved by stuffing her face with the onion cheese tart.

"Didn't Bookman teach you not to stick your nose into others' business?! The last thing I want is for you know about this, stupid rabbit, and I don't care if you were part of the mission!" While saying this, the hotheaded Exorcist let out a frustrated groan, cursing his luck for having this _certain someone _in the room.

"Weeeeell," Lavi feigned an innocent smile. "While that may be true, old habits die hard. And plus…"

If the now sly grin didn't get any wider, it did, and along with it came a mischievous glint in his one, green eye.

"I already got blackmail on you in regards of the task, remember? So, there's no way I can pass this opportunity up as I've been dying for days to know who won that challenge, anyway! I must say, being in female clothing does suit you."

A flash of black and Mugen was pressing against his neck.

"Unless you want to die a slow and painful death," the other male Exorcist growled ominously, looking quite vicious. "You DO NOT leak this information out to those UNINVOLVED with the mission. Don't you even dare leak this to Bookman either and I will find out if you do. NOBODY, and I mean NOBODY, outside from those given the assignment will find out. And if they do, you're going to wish that you weren't involved with the Black Order at all. Understand, rabbit?"

Inching away from the blade, laughing nervously, the redhead replied with a shaky voice and a grin to match, "All right, all right. Geez, Yuu, do you really think I'm the type to gossip?"

"With your Bookman duties, why wouldn't you?! Granted, you got mostly everyone in the Order to tell their life stories! Not only that, but you seem to have forgotten the definition of privacy, you stupid rabbit!"

"The girly-looking boy has a point." Rue finally spoke up, swallowing down her food while nodding curtly in agreement. "Because of your habit of constantly popping out of nowhere, I do end up almost killing you for it every single time, you know!"

With a fake gasp, Lavi started to mock pout his hurt.

"Not you too, Rue!" He started whining dramatically. "I'm shocked, how could you take sides with Yuu when he's your biggest rival in the Black Order?! I thought you would be with me, not against me!"

"Granted, for some strange reason, I ended up telling YOU my background when I wanted to keep it a secret for a while." She twitched, remembering what she was talking about a couple of days ago. Lenalee, unaware of that having happened, was shocked to hear Lavi already knew before she did; Kanda, however, grew a little more suspicious. "Now, I feel like I don't trust you with that information!"

"Oh, come on!" The redhead smiled a bit, going over to her bedside to ruffle her hair softly. "Calm down… I'm not going to tell anyone if you don't want me to, especially to Gramps. So relax, okay? It's safe to trust me."

"You won't… Tell anyone? Are you sure?" Her face looked serious, tightlipped. "If you do, I'll make sure to find ways to kill you."

"Of course not!" He hastily replied, grinning apprehensively because of receiving a threat from her should the information be leaked. But, the grin melted into a kind smile. "Not until you're ready to tell… That's a promise."

Rue didn't say anything right after that, looking straight into Lavi's face. After a moment of silence, it was finally broken.

"I… I believe you…" She muttered softly, hesitantly, breaking eye contact with the redhead. "But, if you do—"

"I won't, don't worry about it."

A reluctant nod, not saying anymore, blue-gray eyes looking at folded hands in her lap.

"Now then," General Tiedoll finally spoke with a smile, which caused the four teens to snap out of it. "I believe I should make the announcement now, right?"

"Che, hurry up and out with it, General!" Kanda's patience was at its limit.

"This'll be worth hearing." Lavi grinned mischievously, ignoring the glower the sword wielding Exorcist was giving him.

"We never got to hear the results since, the moment it was going to be declared, the Akuma decided to attack. So, I want to know too." Lenalee's voice was filled with anticipation.

Rue didn't say anything when hearing her "father's" words, but a light nod was enough to tell her wish of hearing this as well.

"All right, settle down." He couldn't help but continue smiling at the excitement from them (well, Lavi and Lenalee for sure). "According to Komui, and the information he got, the winner of the Winter Masquerade is…"

All waited in baited breath, unable to handle the suspense any longer.

"…The winner is Yuu!"

The varied reactions amongst the four teens were proclaimed.

"I KNEW IT!!!" Lavi cried out in joy, gloating, the one fact alone seemed like it sufficed as the greatest Christmas present he got. "THAT'S IT, YUU! I'M OFFICIALLY CALLING YOU YUURI FROM NOW ON!!!"

"OVER MY DEAD BODY I'LL LET YOU!!!" Kanda roared, furious, feeling that his masculinity was officially gone. "YOU DO THAT AND I'LL MAKE SURE YOU'LL HAVE A ONE WAY TICKET TO HELL!!!"

"Oh my…" Lenalee clasped a hand over her mouth, suppressing her laughter, eyes wide in astonishment from such news. But after letting it sink in a moment, her hand returned to her side, and the stunned look reverted to what looked like an impish one. Deciding to live in the humorous moment, she pointed out playfully, "Looks like I should experiment on dressing you in female clothing from now on…"

While occupied on sending the redhead every, single death threat in the book, the samurai-like Exorcist whirled around to give the Chinese female a hard glare.

"Do you really want to die?"

"No, I just want to see you look girly!" And she said this with a bright smile, every word serious.

An anguished groan, along with, "Lenalee!"

Amused by the trio's interaction, General Tiedoll's gaze averted to the quiet tomboy on the hospital bed, who had a neutral expression on her face. Eyebrows risen in surprise, this made the older man question about his "daughter."

_No reaction at all? I guess she really is unable to feel something like humor… I thought with Rue being in the Order, it would change her just a little bit from the time she spent here so far…_

"Sheesh, no reaction?!" Lavi finally paid attention to the fact Rue didn't act in response to the news as he turned around and saw her impassive expression. "You're as serious as ever…"

Seeing this too, Lenalee exclaimed, "Really! I thought you'd enjoy getting your revenge towards Kanda like this!" There surfaced a small smile on her face, a light sigh escaping. "I guess nothing can make you laugh, eh?"

"Well, it can't be helped if the shorty is like this." Kanda shrugged, unsure on whether to be relieved or otherwise when it came to Rue being stern. "That's just the way she is."

Truthfully, the tomboy was trying to keep composure of her facial expression the whole time. As much as she looked indifferent, in reality, she was really struggling to keep that tight lipped look. There was an overwhelming feeling she felt inside, no idea on what it was, but it was just ready to burst any moment now.

"Mmph…" It was getting harder for Rue to keep a straight face as time passed.

Sensing this, a new light in his eyes, the General asked softly, "Rue, are you… Actually holding back?"

"HUH?!" The trio shouted in surprise, looking back and forth to the older man and the boyish-looking girl.

As if to answer his question, a hand immediately flew to Rue's mouth. As she pressed her palm to her lips, her eyes had changed from stoic to something else that all hadn't seen on her before, though she was trying to maintain her solemn face. Her other hand clenching the blankets, her body was shaking a lot. Behind her covered mouth was a muffled sound—sounded as if she was choking—and sharp breathing and hissing.

"Rue?!" Lenalee started to panic.

"Are you okay?!" Lavi was also starting to get concerned. "Say something!"

Kanda had no reaction; however, he shot his teammate a puzzled look.

Unable to hold it in anymore, she released both hands from her mouth and the sheets. They grabbed both of her sides as Rue, serious assassin and Exorcist, erupted into a laughing fit. General Tiedoll was taken aback, slumped back in chair from total surprise, the heavy feeling on his shoulders in regards of Rue lifted. Both Lenalee and Lavi were shocked with their jaws agape, trying to register on what was happening. Kanda was wide-eyed, unable to mask his own revelation this time.

"I-I-I can't hold it in anymore! I CAN'T! The fact that Kanda won in a crossdressing contest and I didn't is just too… Too…" She couldn't continue her sentence; no matter how much she wanted to say something, there was no way she could speak complete sentences without going in hysterics.

The Head Nurse came in again, checking on what was going on and possibly about to give a sermon because of the noise. When she saw the normally stoic girl actually laughing, she wasn't sure what to think at first. But, there was a gentle smile on her face when seeing the young Exorcist-in-training like that and she walked away to leave things the way they were. One would swear she said something about a miracle happening in the Black Order.

Feeling the blow finally wore off, her teammate shot the most intimidating frown he could muster and hissed, "You really are asking for a death wish, aren't you, shorty?!"

She didn't seem to have heard the threat or, if she did, she didn't care at all. Feeling it wear off from her too, the green-haired female Exorcist laughed along with her friend.

The older man smiled with satisfaction, saying quietly, "So, she has changed a little bit… Little by little, I'm pretty sure she'll be able to understand if things keep going like this… She is only a child, after all."

Only the redhead remained as he was, the stunned feeling still lingering inside him. He still watched the scene with one, wide, green eye, his mind a complete blank. There had to be something, anything that he felt at this moment.

But, once he glanced up at Rue's face… The first time experiencing humor, the first time feeling a joy such as laughing…

"Rue's… Actually laughing…" Lavi said this slowly, feeling the words roll off his tongue in a whisper. As the reality became more real to him, a soft smile formed on his face.

_I never thought she would do something like this because of her being such a somber person. But, she finally did it… There's a breakthrough… Even if just for a moment, it's nice to actually see her like this._

_I… I want that too. _He affirmed seriously, nodding to himself, an unspoken vow forming in his mind. _I want to change too. I want to believe in something outside of the Bookman obligations. Already, I find myself feeling things I shouldn't be feeling, even before Rue came to the Order. She only amplified those sentiments on the day Yuu and I found her in France to bring her here._

_I want to see her smile and I want to be the one to protect it. I don't want to see that desolated look in her eyes again. _

_Tch, you're really going to be in serious shit if Bookman finds out. _Deak's voice echoed at the back of his mind. _Have you forgotten about your duties already?_

_No, I haven't. _He argued back, grimacing to the ceiling. _But, as humans, we do feel. There's no helping that. No man is an island, you know._

_Gramps isn't going to understand that, though. _The alter ego sighed, shaking his head._ He'll just take everything away by forcing you to leave._

_I'm aware. That is why… I won't let him find out._

_Good luck with that, then. I'm sure it won't last for long._

Shaking his head with a light sigh, Lavi went back to the present, smiling softly at his comrades and the General. But, his gaze was towards the girl who, while having calmed down from her hysterics, was still chuckling.

The girl herself was still finding herself making this sound and she found that she was unable to control it. All the while, she had thoughts of her own.

_What is this feeling? Suddenly doing something like that… I've only seen Riley done such a thing, but I never thought I'd do it too._

_So, this… This is what it feels like to laugh…_

_It's… Not bad at all…_

* * *

Nightfall began to paint itself dark blue on the sky, clouds splattering themselves onto the dark canvas. Even so, snow began to fall down quietly, slowly piling up on the ground.

"It's too bad you have to spend your first Christmas here in the infirmary." A sad Lavi began, sitting by Rue's bedside as he was reading a book he borrowed from the library. Since everyone else was in the cafeteria, he decided to stay with Rue in the infirmary. "Komui would've jumped at the opportunity to try to get your socialize or, Hell, doll you up into a complete girl."

"Like Hell I'll let him force me into a dress unless he wants to meet God soon." Rue snorted, shaking her head at the thought as she watched the scenery outside. "I'm not good with those kinds of things. And even if he manages to put me into a dress, it'll only baffle people more on my gender and the majority think I'm a guy, anyway."

A cheeky grin surfaced on the redhead's face as she said this, shaking his head at the notion.

"Yeah, knowing mostly everyone, they're most likely going to have hemorrhages from either your daggers or too much confusion to place you with what gender."

"Exactly, which is why I'd rather not do something like that. I don't intend to either."

"Why not? I think it would be interesting to see you in something feminine. Besides… For all I know, you could end up looking cute in it."

A light whack to the head.

"Don't even joke, Lavi." She was feeling flustered, cheeks pink as a frowning, bashful face met an amused, grinning one.

"Oh, come on! I think you would look pretty."

"Lavi, don't make me hit you again!"

"All right, all right, I'll stop." He shook his head again, chuckling softly. "Haha, I guess it's just too much fun teasing you. I can see why Yuu always makes you angry now."

"Hrmph… Men…" She growled sullenly, which made him laugh this time.

A peaceful silence settled between them, Rue turning back to look out the window, Lavi reading his book. There was no denying that the two were close, though many had found them an odd pair when they were together.

"Hey, Lavi…"

"Hm?"

"You've only been in the Order a little longer than I have, so… Wouldn't this day mark as your first Christmas here too?"

"Eh?" The realization at such words hit him, his green eye wide. "Yeah… Yeah, you're right. This is my first Christmas here too."

"Then, why don't you go downstairs? I'm pretty sure you would like to socialize with Lenalee, Kanda, and the others. You're popular with a lot of people here, even I can see that. I bet you they're wondering why you're not with them."

"Rue…"

"It's better than being here with me." Lavi turned to look at Rue, observing her as she spoke. Though her voice sounded calm, her eyes looked like it was showing something there, they were unfocused. "I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself with them. So, it's all right. I don't mind being alone."

"Rue," he began again, placing a hand on her head, which made her look at him. "I'm not going to leave you here by yourself."

"But, Lavi—" Her voice was in an arguing tone, but he had stopped her.

"I won't leave you alone." He smiled slightly, messing up her hair. "Even if you tell me to, I won't. I just don't want to leave you by yourself. Because…"

She kept looking at him with a confused face, surprise mingling there too.

"I know it's lonely. Even if you won't admit it out loud or you don't want to, I'm pretty sure that… It's sad not to have company."

The female said nothing in reply, blue-gray eyes averting to the floor. Slowly, she turned away from the window and let her body settle back into the bed, blankets and all. Sitting up, her eyes unfocused, she looked to be contemplating. The male felt he did something wrong and was preparing himself for anything in case she was angry.

"Yeah…"

That word alone caused him to look at her. Her long bangs covered her eyes to hide the emotion, but her voice was resonating with its usual honesty.

"It is… Lonely, isn't it? Not having anyone with you, that is." She murmured quietly, her eyes hazy as if recalling something. "I've been used to it because it's been like that for as long as I remember. It was Riley who changed that, though. Even though we're not blood-related, he's like an older brother to me."

The young male listened to his comrade, his hand on her head still there as he petted it, stroking her short hair.

"But… Even though we're separated, we haven't lost contact. However, it just feels odd now, not spending Christmas together like we always did. When Riley is not around the holidays sometimes due to assassin obligations, that's when I'm back to being that way again, though he would always make up the lost time. I'm the one far away from him this time, though, and I figured I would be… Satisfied… Staying here in the medical wing alone for Christmas…"

"Rue…" Without even thinking on his actions, Lavi had his arms around Rue's small body, a tight embrace. Her eyes widened in surprise, her face buried into his warmth of his chest, his smell faint on his skin and clothes picked up by her nose.

"Lavi?" Her voice sounded small, a confused whisper.

"See?" His voice was calm, warm, arms still hugging her tightly. "You are lonely, after all. And that is why I don't want to leave you alone, even if you tell me to do so. We already know that we're both alike, right? So, let me keep you company."

"But…"

"Please…" A request, not an order. The male could feel the petite female's head move against his chest, indicating a nod. With a relieved sigh, while flustered after registering his actions, he reluctantly let go of her.

"Then, do me a favor." Her voice was brisk with its usual sternness, her face matching with it.

"Eh?"

Looking around on her bed, Rue had pulled out a black book from under her pillow. The book was small, a bit bigger than her hand, but it was thick with numerous pages. It was black from cover to back, but there were simple, detailed designs that stood out with their colors. The splashes of color were white, red, yellow, all sorts of colors that would contrast with the dark background.

Seeing the object, Lavi was thrown off further into bewilderment.

"What's that?"

"It was a present I got from Riley that arrived while I was away in Rome for the mission. The pages are blank, though, so I have an idea."

"By idea… You mean the favor you asked for earlier?"

"Correct."

"Well, what is it? Tell me!"

"Um…" She was starting to hesitate. "It may not be a good idea, though…"

"How bad can it be?!" Sure enough, he sounded a little excited. "Whatever it is, I'm sure it'll be good!"

"Then…" She hugged the book to her chest, not looking at him in the eye. With her red, timid face, she forced herself to blurt out what she had in mind. "I want this… To be our exchange diary. In case you don't know what it is, it's a book where two people write in their thoughts to each other. When one is done writing, they hand it to the other person that'll make a response in return and vice-versa. You can talk about anything in it, be it good or bad…"

Rue was completely avoiding her companion's gaze now, feeling her face burning. Lavi looked taken aback, but he was still paying attention, which she felt that she should continue in spite of her self-conscious state.

"Because I don't see you every day due to your work or our missions, I thought we could be able to communicate with each other this way. And I…" She felt her holding back again, but she shook her head furiously, stubbornly. "I want to know more about you… Even though you're busy doing your stuff, I just… I just want to hear how you are and everything…"

_Ugh, I am sounding really, really stupid right now! _Her thoughts were cursing her, the mortification growing stronger. _Now, Lavi must think I'm an idiot!_

"You know…"

She snapped out of her musings the moment she heard his voice, looking up at the older teen. She tensed, unsure of what to make of his tone.

"Rue… That isn't a bad idea at all." Lavi smiled gently, all the while completely ignoring Deak and his warnings. "In fact… It's a great idea."

"R-Really?" She sounded uncertain; if her face hadn't gotten any redder, it was as red as Lavi's hair. She felt something like relief wash over her as her hold on the book loosened immensely.

"Of course, silly!" He laughed, mussing up her hair affectionately. "Really… It's just so boring doing research all of the time, so it's nice to have a small break for a change by doing something like that. Okay, I promise to write the first entry as soon as I can."

"Promise?"

"Yeah, I promise." With that, he took the book she was holding and placed on his lap, a reminder that he would take it with him later when he would leave the room. Even though she wasn't smiling, there seemed to be a glow in her eyes when she settled back down into her bed.

"Ah, right! I forgot that I have a present for you!"

Perplexed, Rue looked at Lavi.

"What's wrong, Lavi?"

"Since it's Christmas, I came in here not only to accompany you, but I got you a gift!"

"What?!" She looked flabbergasted now, mouth open. "B-But, you didn't have to! I didn't even get you anything because I was unsure about what you liked! Lavi… You've done more than enough…"

"But, I got you a present because I wanted to. It's okay if you didn't get me anything. You already gave me something, anyway."

"Like what?"

"That's a secret." He still recalled the girl besides him laughing earlier at the expense of her rival, smiling at such a vivid memory. "Anyway, I still have a present to give, so here you go."

Not listening to her objections, Lavi got out a medium-sized box wrapped in green and silver, a red bow to tie it all together. At first, Rue was still fussing about how he got her something while she got him nothing, and how she felt undeserving to have a present, but her curiosity began to settle in. So, nonetheless, she placed the box into her lap and began opening it. The Bookman novice watched her take off the wrapping and bow in anticipation as tiny, shaky hands pried open the lid.

When she looked inside, she had no reaction. Her face immediately formed shock as she saw what it was. But, that melted away as her eyes went all aglow just like moments ago, small hands going into the box and taking out the present.

In her hands was a stuffed animal in the form of a fox. Medium-sized and with fluffy, glossy, orange-brown fur, its big, brown eyes stared up at Rue as if begging to be cuddled and loved. Its white-tipped, bushy tail brushed against her flesh, which gave off a tickling sensation. Her eyes holding a bright radiance that was never seen before, she hugged the plushie in her arms.

"Fox…" Rue said in a low voice, her expression softened considerably from its usual, cold expression. Turning to an amazed Lavi, she asked quietly, "How did you know that I liked foxes?"

"Well…" He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Sometimes, when I'm in the library while you would be training with Yuu or when you would take a walk outside… There were times I'd spot you playing with the foxes in the forest. I wasn't sure whether you definitely liked foxes or not until recently… Remember the mission we had together before you went off to Rome with Lenalee?"

She nodded, remembering that they were in Finland at that time.

"Well, when we were looking for the Innocence that time, we were passing by the shops and what not there. When we were passing by the toy store… Just for a fleeting moment, I caught you looking at this fox plushie in a way that told me that you wanted it. But, you looked disappointed too since you figured it was expensive or that you felt that you should focus more on the assignment… So, while you were away in Rome, I went back to Italy on my own and got it for you."

"You… Saw me looking at it?" Now, it was her turn to go red, mumbling something or another on how she was careless to drop her guard down around Lavi like that. "But…"

She bit her lip, timid and apprehensive.

"Wasn't it expensive, though?"

"Not really!" He exclaimed cheerfully, knowing what he would tell her would erase her doubts. "Originally, according to the shop owner, it was 50,000 Finnish marks. However… Once he heard that I was getting this for you, he decided to give me a discount and I ended up paying 5,000 Finnish marks for it!"

"Ah…"

"So yeah." Lavi flashed a warm smile, messing up her hair once more. "Merry Christmas, Rue."

"Lavi…" Rue's voice held a tone that he couldn't place, but there was a sense of kindness and gratitude there. Looking at him with a surprisingly warm gaze, she continued softly as she squeezed the fox plushie gently in her arms, "Thank you… This really, really means a lot to me. Merry Christmas."

He felt staggered, the feeling of shock running through his slouching body, the moment he saw that look in her eyes. If this wasn't what he called a miracle, he didn't know what else would be considered one.

"Then, let's spend our first Christmas in the Order here in the clinic together." The redhead said at last, happiness surely felt as a bright smile lit his features.

She nodded in concurrence, a sense of a positive emotion in her voice, "Okay, let's make our first Christmas in the Black Order an enjoyable one."

* * *

The snow stopped falling, clouds gone. Even though it was still navy blue outside, a hint of the sun coming up the horizon was there. The sky was beginning to lighten from dark to light, streaking hints of bright colors like red, pink, and a bright orange. A winter wonderland would be revealed in the daylight soon enough.

Already, it was officially Christmas morning in the Black Order. However, commotion was going on by a small group, most of the people holding wrapped gifts in their arms…

"Che! You didn't have to drag me into your stupid plans! Why do I have to visit the shorty, anyway?!" One voice complained with irritation in the quiet, causing others to hush it up.

"Shhhh! Keep in mind that it's still early morning right now, so the majority are still sleeping in. And another thing, why shouldn't you?! The least you can do is visit her since you didn't get her a present, you Scrooge. She's your teammate and your 'sister' in this family, and it's also her first Christmas here, so it's only natural to make her feel welcome—" This one was going on a tirade of sorts, the voice half-stern, half-jolly, but it had been cut off from a hitting sound. "Ow! My sweet, baby sister, why did you do that?!"

"Big brother, now you're the one being noisy, so you keep your voice down." A feminine voice this time answered the other in a serious whisper, proceeding to make the owner quiet. "How is this supposed to be a surprise if you and Kanda are going to be rowdy? Remember how Rue is when you disturb her from her sleep. That's especially to you, big brother, since you've suffered under her wrath in that area countless times before."

The last of the group chuckled amusedly, going cheerfully, "Best to wake her up carefully, hm? We don't want chaos to erupt so early on such a day like this."

"That's true." The female nodded in agreement, flashing a bright smile. She started to frown a little in thought, however, because something was amiss. "Come to think of it… I wonder where Lavi went off to. I wanted him to join on surprising Rue, but I hadn't seen him since last night. When I dropped by his room earlier, he wasn't there. I know that he didn't get assigned to any missions that time since we're celebrating a holiday and all…"

As the four went to the treatment center, they cautiously opened the door, trying not to make a sound. However, what they didn't expect was the scene that was displayed before them.

Rue was sleeping away and hugging a fox plushie in her arms, looking peaceful being like that. On her bed was what looked like some books, a deck of cards that were put away neatly in their box, and confetti scattered all over. At her bedside in a chair was Lavi, who had rested his head into his arms, a blanket thrown over his body for warmth. If you looked long enough, his one, closed eye was exposed and seeing that part of his face held a sense of tranquility. In his lap was a black book, which made the others question what was contained inside. But, the one thing that had stood out the most in the scene was one of his hands was holding the female's tenderly.

"So… He was here the whole time…" Lenalee was the first to speak, her voice in awe at the sight with a dollop of suspicion. However, her face broke into a soft smile when seeing her friends like that. "Well, least that explains why he was missing."

"Looks like he had been spending his Christmas with Rue here while the rest of us were downstairs. He should be lucky that Bookman's not with us or he'd really be in trouble." Komui was grinning widely, suspecting something between the two. "I should question him about this once they're both awake."

"Tch, you forced me to attend that party, anyway, Komui." Kanda scowled with annoyance, crossing his arms. He didn't care what was going on between the stupid rabbit and the shorty since that wasn't any of his business, although he couldn't help but feel slightly intrigued about it, even though he wouldn't admit it. "You worried about the shorty for nothing since the stupid rabbit was way ahead of us."

"Still," General Tiedoll spoke up quietly, looking both happy and relieved for the "daughter" he never had. "It's nice to see them like this, don't you think? I think we should leave them alone for now and let them sleep. We can greet them later when they wake up."

A chorus of agreement from the Lee siblings and only a grunt from the samurai, they (save for Kanda) left their presents at the foot of Rue's bed and made their way out as silently as they came in. As the door closed softly, Rue stirred a little, unsure if she was imagining hearing voices or not. Still too tired from last night to the point of not being able to open her eyes yet, she squeezed Lavi's hand unconsciously, continuing on sleeping. A faint smile could be seen on the redhead's face as he felt that, giving a gentle squeeze to her hand in return.

* * *

Hitomi: *DIES* New record on the longest chapter I've ever written. I'm not sure if the ending of the chapter was good since I'm not sure if I ended up it abruptly or awkwardly. Nonetheless, I'm glad I finally got this done.

I'm sorry I didn't finish writing this sooner. I just got done with my midterms last week and I had been stressing out from other things. So, apologies for delaying this so much.

The letter in the beginning was Riley's reply to Rue's letter in Chapter 9. Of course, she's written other letters to him too, but as said, Riley was too busy to reply to them due to work overload. XD Ahaha, man, if he joins the Black Order too, I can see havoc on the horizon. If he knew Lavi a little better later on, I'm pretty sure he would love to join him on his conquest of pranks.

*evil grin* MWAHAHAHAHA!!! The Head Nurse gave Kanda a lecture for being noisy all because of wanting to hear who won… Speaking of that, what did you think on who won the masquerade's contest? Well, it was about time it was revealed and I had so much fun writing it. XD Oh Kanda, you're officially a girl now! *cracks up* And Rue… Rue actually laughing at the expense of her rival… What progress she's making in terms of her emotions and what to feel. So, I'm pretty sure she'll be able to smile soon, but it'll take a while. Of course, while Lavi's beginning to slowly change too, Deak is still there to annoy him on Bookman duties.

And Lavi and Rue interaction… Well, I did need to develop that a bit more too while trying to keep both of them in character. Hehe, he's starting to poke fun at her, which she doesn't like. But, this is Lavi, after all!

Of course, a little angst is there again, so Lavi's there to cheer Rue up. Who would've thought he'd observed on what animal she likes, huh? Well, as a Bookman, he does analyze people and all just for the sake of recording history. Though, in this case, I think it's to know Rue better. *winks* And the exchange diary idea? I'm not sure what made me go through such an idea in the first place, but it sounded right for the both of them as they're unable to express their emotions outright (well, in Rue's case; in Lavi's, it's already in development, even though Bookman strictly warns him on not to get attached).

XD And the four who found Lavi and Rue together in the infirmary like that… I WONDER what they think about it. *grins* I guess we shall see.

Anyway, glad to get this chapter done! Took a while, but it is finished. And apologies for possible OoCness! Ahhh, Chapter XV around the corner… What will unfold from there…

Look forward to it!


	15. Growing Up

Hitomi: As usual, thank you all for the feedback, whether it's praise or constructive criticism! Man, these days, I feel like writer's block is about to pounce me after lurking at the back of my mind for some time. Seriously, I can still feel its presence faintly there. Ugh, that's the last thing I need since writing is one of my outlets for stress relief.

And believe me, I've been stressing out lately.

Now then, let's see what going to happen in this chapter. Although… I do have an idea in mind, but let's see if I'll be able to convey it…

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

* * *

**Unravel**

**XV**

**Growing Up**

[_Have I really changed?_

_To see, to feel, to experience all sorts of things…_

_Is this what it's like to be human?_

_But, who exactly is Rue Marucut?_]

* * *

With the quiet atmosphere in the Black Order's library, the only thing that could be heard was someone writing. The person in question had scribbled into a book for a while now, the words quickly formed onto the white surface of paper, the handwriting somewhat readable.

_February 7__th_

_Ugh, I just came back from a mission in Korea with Kanda and I'm feeling quite irritated right now. Not only because of him being such a difficult person to work with as usual (to think I've training with him later too), but it's because of what's been happening the past few weeks. It seems that, after Christmas, I've been lacking sleep again since the nightmares that I've been having are becoming more difficult to ignore. That's because the memories have became vivid recently, probably because they had been triggered into such before Christmas, most likely on the day we had to go to Germany and when I confronted the Earl._

_The past still haunts me… I don't want to talk about it. I'm not ready to and I'm not the type to look back on it because I don't dwell on it. You already know about what I've told you in December, but that's only scratching the surface. I haven't revealed everything to you yet, so… Please… Give me time to explain myself. _

_Speaking of that… You never told me what your work was… Of course, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, it just… It just came into my mind that you never went into detail about it. I'm sorry if I'm sounding intrusive as it's none of my business and I've no right to pry, so I'll be keeping my mouth shut now. _

_Anyway, how are you doing? How did work go or did you go out on a mission? I hope you're always in good health before you do such activities. Make sure you eat right and get plenty of rest. And if I find out you skipped a meal or two due to being really busy with either of these things, I'm bringing Jerry's cooking up at your place, no excuses. I heard from Lenalee that your favorite food to eat is yakiniku, right? But, always make sure to make it a balanced meal for your body to replenish energy on; by that, I mean don't eat it alone since that's all meat. _

_Hmmm… Nothing left to say for now, so I guess I better be heading off, then. Aside from training with the old hag, I'm going to be with General Tiedoll too to relax. I'll see you later, Lavi._

Sighing, the girl closed the black book shut, a click from her pen following along. Getting up from her chair slowly, feeling weariness weigh down her body, Rue held the exchange diary in her arms along with what looked like a novel she intended to borrow.

Stepping out of the library, having checked out the novel, it took her a while to go up the floors the Black Order. She shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut as she felt slight pain rippling through her body. Having been away from the Order for about a week or two, she was glad to be back.

_We didn't find Innocence this time, we found an Akuma causing the happenings in Korea. Not to say that the mission was a big waste of time, but… It's been rough from traveling and battling all the way. _She rubbed a temple, feeling a growing headache pulse. _And stupid Kanda being an annoying fool as always… He really is. It would've been better if Lenalee or Lavi came along, so I wouldn't feel so irritated._

Going at her pace, it took her a while to find her destination as she ascended the floors of the organization. Soon enough, she found a familiar door.

_Here we are. _She thought, knocking softly. _If I remember right, this is Lavi's room…_

There was no answer. Puzzled, the girl thumped onto the wooden structure again. Again, no response.

_Maybe he's on a mission? After all, before I left for my own, I did hear that Lavi was going away to Russia with Bookman. It wouldn't take long, though, according to him… Still, I can't help but feel a little uneasy that he's not here, especially when the exchange diary is between us and I don't want anyone to look inside it._

"Lavi? I'm coming in." Rue declared, twisting the doorknob and making her way through.

She blinked, trying to take in her settings. While this wasn't the first time she stepped into his spacious bedroom, she was still spaced out from the way it looked. Although the room was tidy most of the time, it couldn't be helped to see bookshelves everywhere, filled to the brim with books, or some paper piles being around, some of the contents scattered about on the floor. At least it wasn't as messy as Komui's office.

Still, she couldn't help but feel a bit nostalgic when being in Lavi's bedroom as it usually reminded her of Riley's quarters.

"Now, where can he be…?" The female murmured quietly, looking around carefully. Her eye caught something and she took a good look, unsure whether it was her imagination or not. Wanting to figure this out, she approached a certain part of the room.

She found the bed with, sure enough, a sleeping Lavi in it. His body tucked in with thick blankets, only his head poked out. Walking over to his location, she silently set herself on the floor right by his bedside. Upon closer examination as she peered at his face, the redhead looked peaceful at this moment, having drifted off into such a deep sleep due to the toll his mission took on him.

_I wonder when he got back. Mmm, looks like he came here before I did, then. _Rue mused thoughtfully, her dark eyes gazing at the redhead. _This is the first time seeing him like this… _

A light sigh escaped from her lips, the strawberry blonde shaking her head while it looked like a soft expression formed on her face.

_He… He really does have it hard, doesn't he? I wonder… If there's anything I can do to help Lavi… He's done a lot for me…_

Guilt was unmistakable on Rue's features, which made her shake her head again, furiously this time. Getting up, stretching her limbs, she went over to a desk—Lavi's workplace—and left the black book on top of a book pile that was already there. She went back again, leaving herself standing, gazing down at the sleeping face of the older male.

"Lavi…" Her voice sounded gentle when she spoke his name. Unintentionally, she placed a hand on his left cheek for a brief moment, the action tender. "I hope you get lots of rest. I hope you'll do okay in your work and your missions. But, I wish I can somehow help you. You've done a lot for me… So, I hope that I can be of use to you whenever I'm around you."

Hesitantly, she pulled back her right hand, her palm burning from Lavi's warmth. Stunned by her own act, she could feel her face going flushed. Shaking her head once more, trying not to think on it too much, she whipped her body around and made her way to the door.

_What the Hell did you do that for?! _She shrieked inwardly, her face bright red as the same, right hand clenched itself. _You did it without thinking! A reflex?!_

_But… _Opening the doorway, she looked over her shoulder to gaze at the sleeping Bookman apprentice one last time, the gentle look still there. _It's because I want Lavi to know I'm here whenever he's in trouble._

"Feel better." She called out softly as she went out and closed the door without a sound.

The moment one made sure that the door was really closed, one green eye fluttered open. Slowly, the older boy sat up with a dumbfounded look on his face, shock racing through his body. He had only been resting for a bit or, perhaps, pretending to be asleep. Taking that into consideration, this meant that he knew everything Rue did. But, he hadn't expected such actions to be taken by the female assassin.

Gingerly, Lavi placed his own hand on his left cheek as if still feeling the lingering heat from Rue's hand. Thinking about it made his face grew hot for some reason, which was more of a surprise to him. Her words had left an impression in his mind, an impression that shed a different light on her now.

"Rue…" Her name escaped from his lips gently, his still round eye glancing at the door from where the girl departed.

* * *

"It's… Relaxing to be outside." Rue remarked quietly, sitting on a large rock with her legs swinging to and fro. She kept her tattered, red cloak around her, feeling a bit chilly due to the freezing, snowy weather. Watching her now white breath evaporating into the cold, gray sky, there was a sketchbook on her lap as a tiny hand raced across the paper with something in her hand.

General Tiedoll agreed with a nod, smiling a bit to see her sketching as he, too, was drawing to relax himself. Well, being an Exorcist was surely stressful, finding Innocence and killing Akuma daily, so there had to be a way to wind down.

Sketching the snowy landscape right in front of her, in her best attempts that she tried to make in her art, the girl took a look at her "father's" illustration and was marveled at the sight.

"If only I could draw as well as you, General Tiedoll." She sighed wistfully, saying this more to herself than him as she quickly focused her gaze on her own paper and tried to make as much detail as possible.

Looking at her sketch, he smiled in approval, praising her like that.

"It's not a bad start, though." He commented lightly, impressed, his hand having a will of its own to continue drawing as charcoal darkened his palm. "You did say that your mother was an artist before, right?"

"I did. As I've told you, I still have her sketchbooks and such around in the room. One day when I'm not so busy with all of this work, I can show them to you. Though…" There was a faint upturn on her lips. "Thank you, General Tiedoll, for flattering me on my art. It's been a while since drawing, though, and I self-taught myself little by little. I still have a long way to go, though, especially when it comes to drawing people since I don't know the outside world nor interact with many all that much."

He nodded again, adding in the finishing details of his image. It was some time before he noticed that the girl had stopped drawing, looking like she was lost in thought as she stared straight ahead into space. With his other hand, he patted her head softly.

"Eh?" This snapped Rue out of the trance as she looked at him, wide-eyed puzzlement on her face. "What is it, General?"

"You look like you've a lot on your mind. A penny for your thoughts, dear?"

She bit her lower lip, hesitant on telling him. It was still difficult vocalizing her emotions and she felt herself go into a cold sweat. For a moment, she opened her mouth, ready to say something. At the last minute, she clamped her mouth shut and briskly turned away. Without a word, she picked up her pencil, turned to a new page of blank white, and started to sketch furiously.

Confusion and curiosity mingling, the older man watched his "daughter" go about her business for next five minutes or so. As he was about to ask her, she finally settled her pencil down on her side, and lifted up the sketchbook for him to see.

It took him a moment to see that she was trying to convey her emotions through art. But once he glanced at what she had just drew out, he somehow saw the light on what the girl was thinking about. Even though it wasn't too detailed since it was only a sketch, he could still make out a few notable things: hair lifted up by a headband, an eye patch on the right eye, a bright and captivating smile.

There was no mistake: Rue was thinking of Lavi Bookman Jr.

"Lavi?" He queried his answer, to which she only gave a silent nod to. "Why? Are you guys fighting?"

"We…" She was struggling with her words. "We're not fighting or anything of the sort… It's just…"

"Just…?"

"It's just that… I feel like I can't help him." Her voice sounded oddly disconnected, sounding both concerned and frustrated. "I'm still trying to get to know Lavi, even though I feel like I don't know him sometimes. Whatever his work is, I don't know it, but I try not to be nosy. For some reason, I still a presence there… Like, he still seems cold. I feel… That there's a wall between us somewhere."

The older man nodded in understanding, waiting for her to continue.

"He's done so much for me, even though I feel that he didn't have to. Even though he can be stoic sometimes, he's still kind to me. But, I feel that I'm being pushed away… I want to help, but I feel like he's just holding his burden alone." As she spoke, it was apparent that she looked glum now, her shoulders slumped in dismay while her eyes gave away some sort of expression; she was still under pressure with her emotions, though it could be conveyed to one that she looked sad. "He seems to be doing things with a smile… Looking as if he doesn't have any troubles… Why he bothers to help me, I still don't know. I feel like I'm being a burden to him along with his work and the usual missions given to us Exorcists."

"Isn't that because he doesn't want you to worry?" He finally asked with a small smile.

This made her look at him directly now, bewilderment settling in as she took her sketchbook back, closing it and settling it on her lap.

"He's just doing that because he doesn't want you to worry so much. Besides, I'm sure he knows that you'll always be there for him, no matter what." General Tiedoll reassured her with a smile, patting her head again. "I'm pretty sure you're not being a burden to him, though."

"Is that so…" She trailed off uncertainly, her doubt growing. "And are you sure I'm not being a burden to him?"

"It is so. And yes, I'm sure you're not one." He started to chuckle, which made her feel bemused. "Why, if you he considered you as troublesome, he wouldn't let you be with him, right?"

"That's true… But, even so…"

"I think," he suggested, a warm smile on his face. "It's best to talk it out with Lavi himself, hm?"

"E-Eh?!" Rue, however, seemed opposed to the idea. "But, if I do that, what if he'll—"

"He'll understand… It'll be okay, he'll understand. You know… From the moment we met, Rue… I always thought you were an honest person."

"General?"

"The first time I looked into your eyes… I saw a confident girl who stood tall. That is still true up to now. Even though you have trouble saying on what you're feeling, you try to express it as sincerely as you can. You say what you feel without holding back; though, I guess it depends on who you're close to. So…" Once more, the General gave her a warm smile, another gentle pat on the head. "There's no need to be afraid on being honest. It's okay… The world does need a little more sincerity…"

"General…" The words made an impact, the girl at a loss for words. For once, she couldn't think of any comeback to that. Taking it as it was after some time, she got up and held her sketchbook into her arms, ready to take her leave.

"Rue?" The sudden movement caught him in surprise, bafflement on his features, as the girl walked a short distance from him. She suddenly stopped to a halt, looking over her shoulder. When he looked over to her, he was further thrown into the emotion as something caught his eye. Even if it was brief, the corners of her mouth were slightly lifted and her eyes were expressing something…

Gratitude?

"Thank you, General." Rue spoke softly, the expression on her face an eye opening contrast to its usual, stoic look. "Thank you for always listening to me and giving me advice without making judgments. Thank you for being a warm person, even if I feel that I don't deserve such attention. Thank you for teaching me a lot of things, especially emotions because you know that I don't understand them. Thank you for always being there as a father figure, teaching me what it's like to have a family, and thank you… For thinking of me that way. Thank you… For everything. Talking to you like this… Encourages me. I think I can… I think I can talk to Lavi without being afraid."

General Tiedoll's stunned face broke into a smile as he went over to her and patted her head once more.

"You're welcome, my dear… You're very welcome. I'm sure you'll be able to overcome your fear of speaking to Lavi about such matters… After all, he is your friend, right?"

"Yes…" She mumbled softly, her eyes filled with earnest from hearing that. "Lavi… Lavi is my friend…"

Such a mood was interrupted by a loud rumble, which made both of them jump in shock. After realizing what it was moments later, the boyish-looking girl stared at the ground sheepishly, coughing into the fist that covered her mouth as if to hide her embarrassment. The older man, however, burst into heaps of laughter.

After calming himself down, in between chuckles, he asked his youngest disciple cheerfully, "Well, well… Sounds like you're hungry, huh?"

Her face now a faint pink, she yelped indignantly, "G-General!"

"Well, then… Why don't we go inside and eat together? It's pretty cold out here, don't you think?"

"R-Right, of course! I'd… I'd like that… Eating together with you…"

* * *

Time was slowly creeping into evening, the lights in the Order very bright. Having gone into the hospital wing earlier, it explained why Rue had some parts of her face and her limbs covered up, hiding minor injuries. It was marveling how she was even making her way up the numerous floors of the castle since her body was aching with a lot of pain and exhaustion; however, it felt refreshing going through a rough training session like that.

Although while it felt good to have exercise, especially when training your body to fight was concerned, it seemed to have an opposite effect on her emotions; half the time, anyway.

The majority could pretty much guess why she was very irritated at the moment.

_Stupid, damn old hag! _Rue was pissed, very pissed, as she stomped her way around the Black Order. It was peculiar to see her act like that, what with her having a calm and stoic composure most of the time. But, when it came to a certain someone named Kanda Yuu, it was predictable that he made her angry again. The odd thing was, while being like this, both of her hands were covering her mouth.

"DAMN YOU, YUURI, YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR THAT!!!" She yelled frustratingly for the whole Order to hear, having removed her hands quickly before clamping them back in place speedily.

It was really amusing that her rival actually had the nerve to yell back for that the familiarly irate voice of Kanda boomed a couple of feet below—or was it above—her in response, "I HEARD THAT, YOU BRAT!!! DON'T CALL ME THAT UNLESS YOU WANT TO DIE!!!"

She only growled at the back of her throat at this, increasing her walking speed in case her rival suddenly had the urge to walk up to her location and pick a fight with her. She, then, sighed, obviously not wanting to be seen like this.

_This is your fault, Kanda! I can't believe you even made such a proposal and I ended up paying the price for it!_

"Well," she mused to herself, an aggravated frown from her brow. "Everyone will eventually see this. I know I can't hide it forever. But damn, I really do need to tell someone about this situation, on how it happened… It's obvious stupid Kanda knows and that's because he did this to me in the first place!"

_But, who to tell? Lenalee? _As the Chinese female came into her mind, a mental image had started forming. She knew that the dark green-haired female wasn't one to pry, but to see the strawberry blonde like this was sure to get her to question about it.

_Sir Komui, perhaps? Maybe General Tiedoll? _She quickly shook her head at the thought, already having the feeling that the older Lee sibling would get the information out of her somehow… Even if it meant interrogation, whether it involved his inventions or not. As for the General himself, he'd probably be disappointed in her and Kanda for getting themselves involved in such a thing.

_Daisya? Noise? _ Surely, she should be able to trust her other two comrades, her other "older brothers," in General Tiedoll's unit. But, that was rapidly out of the question as well. Daisya Barry would most likely poke fun at her for what happened and wouldn't let it go for a long time, especially when he knew the girl didn't like to lose; then again, he'd also press Kanda for more detail. Noise Marie, as much as he seemed to be a good choice to tell, probably wouldn't have much to say on it and that made Rue nervous because she wouldn't be able to tell on what he thought about it.

_This… Is going to be difficult. _Rue sighed behind her hands, grimacing as she resumed walking swiftly. _I need to tell someone about this, so they would know what really happened. Someone…_

She stopped to a sudden halt, blue-gray eyes widening in realization.

_Of course! Why didn't I think of that earlier?!_

She ran off, in full speed ahead towards her destination.

_Although it's a gamble and I still feel doubt towards that person… I think it's okay to tell him…_

* * *

Meanwhile, the Bookman apprentice was at his desk, finishing his usual duties. When he was done, his eye caught a certain book on the table. Instinctively, he picked it up and flipped through it, catching a certain someone's somewhat legible handwriting and the date.

A small smile graced his lips.

Grabbing a nearby pen, Lavi got up from his chair and settled onto his bed, carefully composing his inner thoughts on the entry as his response flowed in ink on paper. All the while, he started to think of her, wondering what she was up to.

_She's back in the Order, there's no doubt about that. _He mused, starting to remember what had happened hours earlier. His face flushed at the memory, his left cheek remembering the heat of Rue's hand, and he shook his head to snap back to reality. _Considering on how tired she must be, she should've been resting the whole time. But, while studying, I've heard her outside… Most likely training…_

He frowned a little at that thought, feeling oddly displeased.

_As always… She's pushing herself to the limit…_

Yet, another furious shake of the head. Sighing loudly, Lavi was feeling that emotion growing and he wasn't sure what to make of it.

_What… What is this? Lately… It's like I've been concerned about her. Why? She can take care of herself… But, ever since she arrived back here, she hasn't even taken a nap. At least, I know that part of her so well. She may have been able to eat, if only a little bit, but I don't think she had the opportunity to even sleep. When she came in here, she sounded so fatigued. I'm sure she went through training today with Yuu too, but to do so after a difficult mission…_

_Damn it… Rue… Don't push yourself so much…_

_Oy, you're not supposed to worry about her. _Deak's sullen voice echoed in his mind. _And don't tell me you're not because it's clearly obvious that you are._

_Well, what do you want me to do about it? _The boy argued back with a growl, concentrating on writing. _You already know what she's like, right? She doesn't put her essential needs first; whatever she does, she focuses on it and she tends to forget to take a break. So, I can't help but feel like this. Is it wrong?_

_But, she's an assassin, isn't she? You already said she could take care of herself, but you still can't help but stress over her. _The persona chided with a sneer, making the other stiffen at the truth of his words. _ She probably grew up in a harsh environment for all we know, so her body's used to taking physical punishment to a certain extent of time. It's a wonder how she can take both missions and training since I'm pretty sure Exorcists have their limits. But, considering that she's not a full fledged Exorcist yet due to her low synchronization rate of her Innocence, thus needing to train both inside and outside the Order, I'm surprised she hasn't broken down yet. Even when she looks so ragged, ready to drop dead, she's too damn stubborn to give up and keeps pushing herself, overexerting herself._

The other listened intently, knowing that he must be right if he could read that much into the female assassin.

_There's no need to worry over such an insignificant being._ Deak continued coldly, making Lavi wince slightly. _It's wrong to feel this way because of how the Bookman ways work. You know that, I know that, and your other faces know that as well. Tsk, always remind yourself that you're only an observer and nothing more in this war. It's been this way for a long time and you should know that by now._

The mood was tense, brutal. The redhead had not responded to the alter ego for quite some time, the quiet sound of writing being the only thing heard in the room. After writing out the last of his thoughts, he shut the book with a soft thud, looking to be contemplating on something.

_You know… _He began seriously, making the other wary. _While it's true that the Bookman clan is like this… Haven't you seen the similarity between you and Rue, Deak? You may have not realized this, but… Rue is similar to you, albeit under different circumstances._

Just when the other was going to really protest on his opinion, both were interrupted by quick, sharp knocking.

"Who is it?" Lavi called out the question loudly, feeling his guard going up.

"…It's me." A soft voice answered in reply.

The reflex died down, relief releasing the anxiety that had been there.

_Speak of the Devil. _Deak grumbled in dislike.

_Shut up. _Lavi shushed the other.

"Rue? Ah, go ahead, come in."

The door swung open, revealing a disgruntled thirteen-year-old female with her hands covering her mouth. Even though she was doing her best to look passive, as she walked closer to the older boy, he could see blue-gray eyes looking nervous. For some reason, he had a sense of one other emotion that was faintly present…

Although he wasn't too sure on what it was, there was only one way to find out.

She kept silent, her dark eyes averting to the floor, unable to look at him now.

"What… What happened?" The question was finally asked with a reluctant voice, unsure on how the girl was going to react.

It took her a lot of effort on getting herself to speak.

With a light sigh and a muffled voice, Rue responded briskly, "Don't worry about it, it's nothi—"

Immediately, he had interrupted her by grabbing her left hand, leaving her with her right covering her mouth now. Without hearing her out, he pulled her down besides him on the bed, observing on how her retort was going to be.

"Lavi!" She cried out in indignation and Lavi could see traces of pink flushing her cheeks.

"What happened to your lip?" He pressed on, knowing now that he had found his target and knowing now that the other emotion she was feeling now…

Was embarrassment.

A frown at this question, there was a trace of a growl in her voice.

"I'm not telling you!"

"Why not? I know why you came here and it's because…" While he felt baffled on how she was acting, he was more amused than anything else, a knowing, teasing grin plastered on his face. "You wanted me to be the first to know about this, am I right?"

A defeated sigh was her answer as she nodded with resignation, knowing fully well that he was right on her motives.

"But before I show you…" Her tone changed to one of grumbling, clearly not finding this funny. "You have to know the story behind this first."

"All right, let's hear it."

"Well…"

* * *

_Both Kanda and Rue were quite irritated, having been together for about two weeks in Korea to fight off numerous Akuma (also counting the one that was causing the paranormal happenings, Innocence not being the case) and traveling for a while. The whole time during that mission, they would bicker and argue over little things. It didn't help that Komui, probably for his sick, twisted pleasure, wanted the duo to go under guise as siblings. _

_Fire licked at her hands as she threw out her fiery punches to her sword-wielding opponent, having no intention of holding back. She narrowly dodged his First Illusion, though the black blade had grazed her cheek as he had tried to slash her flesh open. She lunged forward, proceeding to give him an uppercut at his gut, causing burns on his skin and his clothes._

_He took it without flinching, though muttering a swear or two under his breath. Feeling anger and fatigue all over his body, he proceeded to create a whirlwind of slashes, one that his female rival wouldn't be able to escape unscathed without lacerations all over. As a reflex, she did try to duck and evade it, but she let her body take most of the punishment of such brutal, physical strength._

"_Oy, shorty!"_

"_What?!"_

_It took a while for more words to be said again as the two were under an intensive training session. Without waiting for a reply, the girl's black glove had dirt surrounding it. Twisting her left hand by the wrist, the dirt consumed the onyx leather whole, caking it with a dark brown. As Mugen was falling from above her, Lifeline blocked the blade, though a tint of red was seeping into the white, as the dirt covered glove that was Deathtrap punched him straight in the face. As she made her move, the dirt swept off her glove, forming a rather large rock to also hit Kanda's face._

_Staggering back, not expecting this, the dark blue-haired Exorcist kept his balance, releasing his Second Illusion: Double Illusion Blades. Doing this, he ran up to Rue with both Mugen and its sheath glowing. Blue-gray eyes were wide now as she didn't expect the hilt of his sword to become a blade too. She knew she was in for it now as he wasn't merciful right now, slashing in all directions with no way out, with two blades being an advantage._

_In between slashes and dodging, she shouted, "So?! What were you calling me for!?"_

_All the while, she was trying to sustain as little injuries as possible. This was difficult to do, though, and Rue could already see red in her vision. She already knew she was bleeding, but she had decided to ignore it, trying to think quickly on what defense she should use right now._

_The whirlwind stopped as Rue found her chin being held up by Mugen, blue-gray eyes locking contact with dark gray ones._

"…_A bet." Short and straightforward._

"_A bet?" She narrowed her eyes, not liking where this was going. "What kind of bet?"_

"_Let's make it clear here. Whoever loses has to…"_

* * *

"Kanda and I were training, right?" She pointed out, her voice a little shaky. "So, after all of that scuffling we did, we…"

"Go on." This was all the redhead said, encouraging her in the best way he could.

"We… We ended up making a bet."

The truth had hit him like bricks.

"Wait… WHAT?!" One green eye went round with shock as he looked at her with disbelief. "You and Yuu… Actually made a bet while you were training?"

A quiet nod.

_Looks like the girl has a lot more guts than I give her credit for, especially when the bet involves Kanda. _Deak commented quietly.

"What did you… Bet on?" This was a delicate subject to tread upon.

"Errrrr…" She shrunk back, scooting away from him, the nervousness in her eyes apparent now. After having an internal conflict with herself, she timidly removed her right hand from her face at last. A glint caught Lavi's eye and he couldn't believe what he just saw for what settled at Rue's bottom lip was a silver earring.

"Whoa!" His eye was as wide as a dinner plate. Deak, on the other hand, wasn't sure on how to respond to this. The redhead could hear his alter ego whistling lowly, though.

"Y-Yeah…" Rue mumbled bashfully, mortified, as she couldn't look at Lavi straight in the face now. "He and I bet that whoever lost in today's training session… Needed to get a piercing of some sort… And I…"

"You… You lost?" He wasn't surprised that she did lose against her rival as she was still weak in her Innocence; however, knowing this fully well and still taking up such a bet, no less… There really was more to Rue than what the majority thought.

She only nodded silently once more, refusing to make eye contact with the older boy as the pink on her cheeks flared to a bright red.

_To take up a bet and lose like this… Really, this girl__… _Deak noted casually, his words nothing but a whisper. To Lavi's astonishment, the split personality was amused as a chuckle was at his voice. _This girl is really interesting!_

Covering up her mouth with her hands again, perhaps self-conscious, he could barely make out her words as she said in a low voice, "What was I thinking, doing something like taking up a bet that I was going to inevitably lose on? Rue, you idiot, it's not like you to do something so reckless…"

The tone quickly changed as a flash of anger surfaced in her eyes as well as her voice.

"But, Lord help me, I'll be damned if I let Kanda take me down so easily! There was no way I was going to let him have a victory effortlessly without a fight!"

Hearing her say that, seeing her expression, her self-consciousness, her embarrassment… Lavi saw the entire situation humorous, to say the least. So, it wasn't hard not to laugh about the whole thing. He tried his best holding it back, but he couldn't stay quiet any longer.

Lavi started to laugh hard.

Jerking out of her musings, Rue shifted her eyes to the historian-in-training as he went on into a hysterical laughing fit. She frowned at this, her face red not with humiliation, but with annoyance.

"It's not funny, Lavi!" She fussed at him, giving him a sharp glare. It only made him laugh harder, though.

"It is!" He managed to say in between, clutching his now aching sides. "I find it hilarious that Yuu's the one who initiated the bet! You only took up the bet because you didn't want to lose to him, right?! The fact that the both of you have been rivals since day one when you entered the Order… Geez! It really isn't like you, Rue, to take up a bet in the first place! But, here you are now with a lip piercing and looking quite awkward!"

With a snarl, the girl grabbed one of his pillows on his bed and threw it at his head. It didn't faze him when it made a direct hit; he still continued on laughing as If nothing happened. Taking the same pillow hastily, she began to hit him with it repeatedly.

"What?! Don't you think I've a right to feel this way right now?!"

"You do have a right! But, it's just that…!"

"'Just that,' what?!"

"Seeing you like this is very cute!"

She stopped her assault, absorbing his words. For some reason she couldn't understand, the words made her blush. Stopping her pillow attack completely, she moved away from the redhead, gazing at his room's door.

Finally letting his laughter die down, deciding to spare her any more discomfiture, Lavi saw that the petite female went quiet. He began to approach her, uncertain on what to tell her. Perhaps, an apology was in order.

But, what a surprise he had as she turned to meet his face since there was a look he hadn't seen on her before…

Was Rue pouting?!

_What a strange turn of events. _Deak was still amused.

"Cute…" She echoed his word in thought, trying to find some sort of meaning from it, the pout really there. "What's so… Cute about me being like this?"

He blinked, off-guard by the question. His mind raced with possible answers; hopefully, ones that wouldn't make her feel angry.

_Trying to stay on her good side now, are you? _ The forty-eighth façade snickered under his breath. _I guess you don't want to meet her daggers again, huh?_

_Shut up, Deak._

"I said that because… Because this is a side of you that many, myself included, have never seen before." Lavi finally said, tousling her hair affectionately. "I know you don't get angry unless Kanda does something to fire you up… But, for you to take a bet without considering the consequences, to see you looking self-conscious because of your lip piercing, to see your face go red because you're shy and embarrassed… Again, this is something that I'm not used to."

Rue kept quiet, taking his reasoning into consideration. She found it strange, really strange, that she herself hadn't thought of that before. It had been four months since she entered the Black Order as an Exorcist and she didn't really think of the changes that she had. However, she seemed to be somewhat conscious about it, but she never made any more reading into it.

"So… Because you're not used to me being like this is why you find me cute." She tried to understand him, trying to put his sentiments into her own words.

"Mmm. I'm trying to say that, as much as you have your flaws, this part of you is endearing. Really, it's rare to see emotion out of you, much less something that's hard to hide like embarrassment." He nodded a little with a chuckle, ruffling her hair more. "It's not like you being like this is a bad thing, though."

"It… It isn't?"

"Nope! In fact, this is a good thing."

"Why?"

"Because," He gave her a warm smile. "You're slowly learning on how to be human. This is your way… Of growing up. You're growing up, Rue. Not as an assassin or an Exorcist, but…"

"But?" Rue felt a little confused.

"But as yourself, as Rue Marucut."

"As… Myself, huh?"

Lavi's head perked up, his face expressing surprise again as he heard Rue chuckle a little.

"I guess… I've a lot of learning to do, eh?" The girl asked with a positive air; more to herself than her male companion. "If I stay here in the Order… I think I can learn a lot more."

A gentle smile formed on the Bookman apprentice's face once more as he patted her head.

"Attagirl. Let's take it one step at a time, okay?"

"Okay!"

_Oy, Lavi—_

_I know, Deak, I know. I already know my limits, so don't worry about it._

The two would talk about a lot of things that came to their minds, the atmosphere a peaceful one. Slowly, as the hours passed, they would chat about numerous topics. Lavi did most of the talking while Rue had little to say, but that was okay. As long as they were enjoying themselves in each other's company, it was all right.

"Are you serious?!" Suddenly, he shouted incredulously as he went into another laughing fit. "Your surname really doesn't suit your line of work at all!"

"I know that, shut up!" She snapped at him, anger and humiliation at the surface once more as she hit him with the pillow. "This was why I didn't want you to know the meaning of it!"

"Well, from the day we first met when you were introducing yourself to Komui, I knew at that time that you were only half-French; to be more specific, your surname is of Philippine origin. But, who would've thought that 'Marucut' means 'to get caught' when your profession is obviously telling you not to?!"

"So what?!"

"It's ironic, that's why I'm finding this funny!"

Shaking her head with a huff, she knew that he was right about that, but she said nothing about it. Instead, she only shot him a small glare, pouting again.

Poking her side, he grinned widely as he told her, "You should learn how to laugh at yourself every once in a while, you know. Don't be too serious about everything. Unless you're trying to be like Kanda; then, be my guest!"

Whacking him lightly with the pillow, she gave him another glare, though it seems that this one was playful.

"I'm kidding, Rue."

"…I know, Lavi. I didn't hit you that hard with the pillow now, did I?"

He shook his head, grinning amusedly as he messed up her hair once more.

"Not a bad start, then. You really are growing up."

"Speaking of that, though…" He met her face with a confused look as she spoke quietly. "Today is something to consider too because… It's my birthday."

"Huh?!" Well, this was a shock to him. "Today's your birthday?!"

"Y-Yes, it is. I'm fourteen now. I didn't tell anyone in the Black Order because I figured that such things weren't important—"

"Are you nuts?!" Lavi grabbed Rue by the shoulders and shook her violently. "A birthday is very important! This is the day when you were brought into this world! This is the day when you took your first breath and when your parents named you! This is the day when you marked your existence! And you're telling me that's not important?!"

"L-Lavi!"

"I'm not done!"

"But—"

"A birthday is a very important day! If you weren't born; then, you would cease to exist! Then, if that happens, you wouldn't be the person that you are n—"

"LAVI!"

"WHAT?!"

"Stop shaking me… I'm getting really dizzy here…"

"Eh?" It took him a moment to realize that while he was on his tirade, he was, indeed, still shaking the younger female. He released her shoulders with a sheepish, nervous smile as he mumbled, "Ooops… Sorry…"

Rubbing her temples, she groaned with a grimace, "Damn it, Lavi. Never do that again."

"Sorry."

"Mmm, it's fine. Just remember not to do that anymore."

"So then, it's your birthday…" He said with a quiet, contemplating voice. Then, he brightened up a little as he asked, "Since no one else knows that it's your birthday, how about I get you a present?"

"E-Eh?! You don't have to…" She looked down, apprehensive, her cheeks pick once more. "Getting me that fox plush as a Christmas present, though unexpected as that was, had been more than enough for me… I don't need anyone getting me a present. Even if they did, I'm not even sure what I want. How ironic that I'm saying this since the lip piercing Kanda gave me is like a birthday present from him, even though he doesn't know it's my birthday and he doesn't seem to be the type of person to give a gift, anyway."

"Hmmm…"

It had been silent for a while, no words exchanged between the two. It wasn't until Rue looked up that she caught Lavi staring at her in a thoughtful way.

"Lavi?" Her voice came out small, puzzled, just like that time before at Christmas.

"Well, if you don't know what you want as a present…" He pondered, eyeing her with a serious look. "Then, I think this'll suffice as a gift."

He moved closer to her, close until they were shoulder to shoulder. Rue opened her mouth, ready to ask what he was talking about, but she was silenced as Lavi embraced her. She stiffened in shock, still adjusting on this kind of physical contact from anyone. She shook a little, probably nervous about it. As he felt this, he smiled a little.

"It's all right," Lavi murmured softly, tracing small circles on her back. "I'm not going to hurt you, okay? You're safe here."

Rue nodded silently, her face into the crook of his neck. She could smell his scent again, which had a soothing effect on her. While her body still felt worn out, she felt comforted when Lavi was around.

"Lavi?" She finally spoke, feeling herself unable to focus.

"Hm?"

"Thank you… For giving me this present…"

She sounded really tired at this point, but he could tell there was a hint of a positive feeling in her voice too. Without even thinking on it, the tomboyish female moved about, so she could settle onto the older boy's lap. He started to blush at this, but she didn't notice as she unconsciously, slowly, wrapped her arms around his waist, her head onto his chest. She could hear his heartbeat, being this close to him, and it lulled her into drowsiness.

"Lavi…"

His head perked when she called his name, but he didn't want to move anymore for he may feel he'll disturb her. Besides, he, too, was also comfortable with this as his head rested on top of her own.

"Please… Don't shoulder your burdens by yourself. I know I sound like a hypocrite right now, but… I just want to be there for you when you have your problems…"

He only listened to her, nodding to let her know that he heard her.

"I don't want you to be alone when you feel negative. I want to carry your pain too. And that's because… You're my friend… So… I'll be around if you need me, okay?"

He nodded again, not speaking.

Rue shifted her head, so she could look at him. At the corner of his eye, he caught her gaze. He was a bit taken aback as he saw that gentle expression on her face again. Even though she looked weary, there was no doubt that the kind look in her eyes was real.

"Good…" She said in a low, soft voice, her eyes aglow. "Good… I can finally help someone…"

Resting her head onto his chest again, she nuzzled it unconsciously as she went really quiet. For a couple of more minutes, it stayed like this. As Lavi carefully moved on the bed to lean his body on the headboard, he saw that the girl in his arms had fallen asleep. With a sigh and a soft smile, he kept one arm around her as the other hand stroked Rue's strawberry blonde hair.

_What will you do now? _Deak asked indifferently. _The girl's fallen asleep because of you._

_I know. _He replied with a light chuckle, still petting her head. _It's best to let her since she must be worn out from all of the training and the mission she came back from. Besides…_

He looked down at her sleeping form, his smile gentle.

_I've never seen her so relaxed before… She has a peaceful face… _

_So, she's just an innocent child, after all. _

* * *

_Where… Am I? _A sleepy Rue thought, snuggling further in the blankets. _It's so warm over here… And for once, I didn't have any nightmares at all. Not at a—_

Her body shot up straight up in realization, the blankets thrown off of her, blue-grey eyes wide as she took in the bright scenery that was Lavi's room. It seemed that she was alone, the redhead was nowhere in sight. It wasn't like her to be alarmed, but at these turns of events…

_Ahhhhhh! _She cried out in her mind, horrified, as she took in the reality. _That's right! I was here because I was telling Lavi what happened between Kanda and I; then, we were talking; then, then…!_

Bright red painted her face as the memory of being in Lavi's arms suddenly came back to her.

_I DID THAT?! Thoughtless! I was too careless! _She flapped her arms in panic, chastising herself all the while. _You let your guard down around Lavi?! You idiot, what's wrong with you?!_

The girl took deep breaths, trying to calm down, trying to think rationally about the whole situation. While she was doing so, it occurred to her that a certain, black book was right besides her.

_Hm? The exchange diary? _Bewildered, she opened the book and flipped through the pages. _Did he respond?_

Her eyes caught Lavi's handwriting as she took in the words…

_February 7__th_

_You and Yuu went on a mission together in Korea, right? AHAHA, man, I wonder how you managed to put up with that. I guess that the Finders had to be the referees before you two would come close to killing each other. For all I know, you two were probably bickering over everything, knowing you guys. You really do need to get along! _

_Ah, no wonder you looked so exhausted. Geez, Rue, you really shouldn't overexert yourself like that. It's one thing that you came back from a mission and went to training straight away, but lack of sleep to top it off? If you keep this up, you might as well die of exhaustion! You still have nightmares of your past, huh? I know you're not ready to talk about it, but know that I'll be around to listen, okay?_

_Oh no, it's all right if you were curious about my work. I guess I should've told you earlier… You see, Gramps and I come from a long line of historians. Basically, our work is to record history; to be specific, history involving war. That's why Gramps and I are here in the Black Order. Well, it was luck—or coincidence—that both of us were able to wield Innocence, so we were able to get access in the Black Order. However… There's a price for doing this job, but I won__'t get into that__…_

_I'm doing well, though I'm a bit tired myself. I got back from a mission in Russia with Gramps accompanying me. We found the Innocence there, but you know how Exorcist work is: When Innocence is around, Akuma follow. Wasn't that much of a challenge, even though there were Level 2 involved, it was more of a hassle if anything else. We got the Innocence back safely, though, as I handed it in to Hevlaska before doing Bookman duties._

_Don't worry, I don't eat yakiniku all of the time. And I'll make sure to eat a variety of food and get plenty of rest, so you don't have to fuss so much. Sheesh, you sound like a nagging wife. _(At this, Rue's face flushed red and she wasn't sure whether to be embarrassed or angry.) _Don't kill me if you've read that, I'm kidding, I'm kidding!_

_Mm, it's good to relax. You should do that once in a while, so you don't get stressed out. And wow, another nickname for Yuu? BWAHAHAHAHA!!! Old hag suits him perfectly!_

As she read the contents, she felt an emotion there. She still wasn't sure what to call it, but it didn't seem to be intimidating.

_It's nice to read his thoughts. So, that's what his work is… _As she flipped a page, ready to respond, her eyes caught more words.

_Eh? Another entry from him?_

_February 8__th_

_Rue, if you're reading this (you should be awake), I'm sure you've noticed that I'm gone now. Seems that I've been summoned to Komui's office to be assigned on a mission; damn it, they had to do it early in the morning too… Anyway, I'm gone to China for a few days. They say there's something going on over there. Whether it's Innocence or Akuma, I don't know. As usual, the details are vague._

_But, anyway, I'm glad that you came to me yesterday. To share a secret concerning Yuu, sharing a lot of things… Talking to you made me feel relaxed. I know you're not the type to tell things so easily, so I know I can trust you. But, it's funny, isn't it? We're not able to express ourselves properly, but we can open up to each other little by little… _

_Seems that we really are friends, then, eh? I'm happy, then…_

_Happy fourteenth birthday, Rue, and I hope you liked the present I gave you. Well, I'm sorry that I made you sleep after that. But, I guess you must've been worn out. Don't worry, though… I didn't mind at all… I think you really did need someone with you. After all, you said you've been having nightmares lately, right? So…_

_Looks like I was able to make your nightmares go away, even if it's just temporary._

_I told you… You can always come to me if you need anything. Don't be afraid to talk to me._

_One more thing? Thanks… For being concerned for me. If I ever do feel down… Then, I'll come to you, I promise._

Rue soaked up those words, reading them over and over. Her cheeks flourished red once more, but… If you looked carefully, there seemed to be an illusion of a faint smile.

Getting up from Lavi's bed, she stretched her arms and legs, yawning. Grabbing the book, she began to walk out of the room and closed the door, feeling that her steps were lighter and the day was brighter, somehow. It felt like nothing bad was going to happen to her.

However… Eyes with dark markings on them observed from the shadows, keeping their gaze on the retreating figure of the female assassin.

_Rue Marucut, you're starting to become an obstacle for Lavi.

* * *

_

Hitomi: … *DIES*

FINALLY, FINALLY DONE! *DIES AGAIN*

Sorry for not updating for a month or so. I got stressed out with schoolwork (AKA final exams) and such other crap. But, now that I'm on semester break, I can hopefully update a bit more often.

I think I'll be rewriting some parts of Unravel, so I can include some stuff… Since this is the first time mentioning Daisya and Marie, I plan to use them in the story too; after all, aside from Kanda, they are in General Tiedoll's unit.

A lot of fluffy Lavi x Rue, even though there's nothing romantic between them yet while more interaction with General Tiedoll… You'd think that Rue would go to other people for advice, but she seems to trust General Tiedoll on a lot of things. She's starting to see him as a father figure.

XD And now, the story of the bottom lip piercing you see on her fifteen-year-old self is finally revealed! Who would've thought it was Kanda who'd do something like this? Really, I think he just made that bet with her out of spite/revenge because of thinking she's such a hindrance on the Korean mission (due to the fact they'd fight over anything and everything).

o_o Looks like I gave Deak a slightly bigger role this time. XD I did have fun writing the conversation between him and Lavi, though!

Looks like someone is not too pleased about what's going on, though… Well, someone had to be against it and who would've fit the role well none other than Bookman?

Anyway, I'm glad I'm finally done and I hope you enjoyed it! Apologies for OoC, if any!

And oh… Happy birthday, Kevin-niichan!


	16. Breakthrough

Hitomi: Wow! o_o I really wasn't expecting this story to be popular (really; aside from the reviews, I've been getting favorite story, favorite author, and story alerts lately)! But, thank you all for your support and the feedback… I really, really appreciate it.

Sorry if the story's a bit slow, but I do want to keep my pace on it, especially when the Lavi x Rue relationship is concerned. Although… *knowing grin* I'll give a little something away: something WILL happen to the soon-to-be couple in the future… And whether it's good or bad, I can't say. You'll have to wait and see for yourselves!

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

* * *

**Unravel**

**XVI**

**Breakthrough**

[_It looks like the two of us are changing little by little._

_Even though we're not supposed to because of the way life had always been for us._

_But, we're supposed to move on to better ourselves._

_This is how we gain our freedom: by living the way we want to live,_

_Finding our own happiness._

_However…_

_Our life routines forbid us, they still cage us from change,_

_Afraid that they would lose complete control over us,_

_Afraid that we won__'t be molds of their expectations anymore__._]

* * *

"You know, this is the first I've ever been in your room." Rue commented bluntly, observing all around the cute and girly quarters as she sat in a chair near the window. "Well, I always wanted to see what it looked like for some time, but… Sir Komui's inventions… Seem to have mistaken me for male and tried to obliterate me on the spot every time I approached your door."

Lenalee laughed forcefully, a sound between embarrassment and exasperation, having known of her older brother's overprotective instincts would go so far as to not let any male guests in her room.

"Well, you know how my brother is." The dark green-haired Exorcist sighed, shaking her head at all of the past incidents involving her brother when it came to her. "Besides, the majority can't tell whether you're male or female, anyway, so I guess it can't be helped if big brother Komui's inventions saw you as male too."

"I guess so."

"Anyway," she went to one part of the room and started to gather some stuff. "Do you think our mission went okay?"

"I think it did. Though, to be honest with you…" The boyish-looking female had a faraway look in her eyes, staring out at the midday setting. It was already spring time and it was beautiful to look at the scenery of nature outside.

"What's wrong?" She looked over her shoulder worriedly, only seeing the other's back.

"It's just that… It really is difficult, isn't it? Living in a world of Akuma, time crucial because you don't know when you'll end up dying because of them…" Here, she gave off a sigh of her own, one that seemed pensive because of the harsh reality of life. Although Lenalee couldn't see Rue's face at this moment, she imagined that while her face was passive, her eyes would hold some semblance of emotion. "We're the ones to save people from that. And even if they do end up staying alive, some people think we're just monstrous as the Akuma themselves…"

"That's… Yeah… That's true…" Lenalee knitted her brow, knowing that the other female was right. They just got back from a mission in Poland, the details being that every time there was a full moon, it would glow a bright red. Because of this, it seemed to have summoned spirits from the past and numerous Akuma came about when this would happen. It ended up being Innocence that was in shape of a scythe and the two managed to retrieve it (of course, at the risk of their own lives being lost) and went back safely to the Order.

However, while they were destroying the Akuma, they also ended up destroying the location. Some lives couldn't be saved, that being the inevitable when caught in a fray of the Millennium Earl's army. Even though the duo saved most of the populace, they got scathing feedback for their deed. They had been labeled as monsters, hell bringers, demons, and the like.

Although Lenalee didn't like the negative attention, and was even a little afraid because of their cold looks, she went on her way to head back. She didn't want to admit it out loud, or shout, but she was really mad at how unthankful the people were (it was a first for Rue to see her like that). Rue, on the other hand, while being the type not to say anything in that kind of situation, really gave the villagers a piece of her mind.

And the pigtailed girl remembered how sharp her words were when recalling them in her mind; how her face was an icy, indifferent mask like on the day they first met.

_"How dare you…" Rue seethed venomously at the residents, blue-gray eyes feral with a merciless ferocity that was very rarely seen. "My humble apologies for your losses as well as destroying your homes, but… We save you from your demise and this is how you thank us? What ungrateful, selfish, despicable, worthless heaps of trash you are. You people are truly wastes of air and space. So, this is how low humanity has fallen… Disgusting creatures."_

_As the population began to shout protests and threats while she walked away towards the pigtailed female, all stopped when she halted her steps to look over her shoulder, only to give them a look that would've frozen their insides._

_"What I say still stands, you disgraceful lowlifes. If you get into a situation like this again, know that there'll be nobody to save you this time around. I say that people like you lot, be it here or elsewhere, deserve to die." At this, she unsheathed a dagger and looked poised to attack, getting pale faces and gasps as a result. Her voice, while cold, had a dark, bitter tone to it. "Hah, if I knew that society was this self-indulgent and foolish, I would've killed all of you myself. People like you don't know what it's like to truly suffer as you're too busy being coddled up in a safe place, not caring if the rest of the world suffers. Just a little piece of advice: the world doesn't revolve around you and don't act like the world's being unfair to you just because your place got destroyed. Places can be rebuilt, but lives cannot be replaced. Don't think you're so special because of this because I'll tell you one thing: the rest of the world is suffering from this crisis, not just you. So, get that through your fat, thick skulls, and I sincerely hope you enjoy your lives while it lasts. Have fun pleading mercy for your sorry, pathetic lives because by the time you're an inch away from death, I'll ask you this: 'Where's your God now?'"_

_Met with a stunned silence, she quietly sheathed her dagger and made her way down the road._

_"Let's go, Lenalee." The tomboy called calmly to her comrade and the other wordlessly followed._

_They didn't need such harsh words spoken to them, especially when saying that they deserved to die. _Lenalee mused warily, still eyeing Rue's back. She was starting to consider her friend's words, though, even if she felt slightly intimidated by her. _But, for her to say something like that… I guess it's because ever since she's been in the Order, she'd silently observe if people weren't thanking us for saving them. Most of the time, people would give their gratitude, but when they didn't, that's when Rue goes silent…_

_Until she makes an outburst like the recent one._

_Is this probably why she was trained as an assassin before being called as an Exorcist? To purge the world of people like them? It makes sense…_

She shuddered, amazed and frightened from the way the fourteen-year-old assassin spoke to a crowd that would've killed her outright. Still gathering stuff in a basket, her violet eyes still gazed at the sitting girl looking out the window.

_She said all of it in such a cold voice… Her default temperament unless Kanda's involved. I'm not sure which one's scarier. Saying so to those people in a calm way… Well, they say that when calm people do get angry, they're scary. Looks like she hadn't hit that point yet or maybe she did. If that's the case… I don't want to know what she's like when she's furious._

Here, she finally allowed a small smile to surface her face, a light sigh escaping while picking up the basket in both arms.

_She must've seen me upset, then. I was trying hard not to show it, but I guess she must've known it all along._

Tucking the basket under one arm now, she used the other to settle her hand on Rue's shoulder. This caused such a reaction from the quiet female for that her body jolted from the contact, swerving her head to look at the teal-haired Exorcist with wide eyes.

"Did I scare you?" Lenalee queried curiously, a sheepish smile there as she saw the surprised look on the Exorcist-in-training's face.

"Well, I think scaring me is an understatement…" Rue muttered cautiously, her eyes looking down at something.

Following her gaze, Lenalee found that one of Rue's hands was going to reach for a dagger, though it looked like her right hand stopped in time from brandishing the weapon. While this astonished her too, she didn't seem to be surprised about it, somehow.

"I-I'm sorry, Lenalee…" Round purple orbs flicked upwards, meeting guilty blue-gray ones. "I shouldn't have done that… Well, it's more of a habit to do this towards Sir Komui because he's boisterous and Lavi because he's always popping out of nowhere without warning. I guess… I didn't quash my habit, huh?"

The more Rue thought on it, the more regretful she felt as well as looked. If Komui were to find out about this, oh, how he would never forgive the assassin for it. After all, Lenalee was his only, precious younger sister.

"I'm sorry, Lenalee, because I was at the ready to hurt you." She shut her eyes tightly, chastising herself internally for such an act. "I'm so sorry… I'm supposed to protect you, not harm you… If you want, I think punishing me would justify things…"

"There's no need to be sorry, Rue." Lenalee smiled slightly, patting her shoulder. "I know it's a habit of yours… It must be really difficult to break, having been adjusted to it for as long as you can remember. I admit, it caught me off-guard, but there's nothing to apologize for. I'm not going to scold you for it, okay?"

"Are you sure?" Opening her eyes, she still looked as ashamed as ever, perhaps really guilt tripping herself. "It felt really wrong to do that… And after you treated me so courteously too… I feel like I deserve retribution for this. If Sir Komui finds out, he'll probably kick me out of the Order!"

"Now, why would my brother do that?!" She shouted disbelievingly, finding such a prospect absurd. "And even if big brother Komui would do that because of your reflex, I'd never forgive him for it! After all… I'm not harmed, right?"

Rue blinked, having stopped ranting her self-blame, letting that fact settle in her mind.

With a warm smile, the pigtailed girl patted the other girl's shoulder.

"Besides, it's a mistake, Rue… And humans do make mistakes. So, it's okay if you did that because it was an accident and nobody's perfect."

"Lenalee…"

"It's okay, Rue. It's a learning process, so don't think you'll get this down overnight. Just take it one step at a time."

"So… Am I still your friend?" And still, she looked guilt-ridden and reluctant, not looking at her in the eye.

With a giggle, she grabbed one of Rue's hands and pulled her up from the chair, saying brightly with an equally radiant smile, "Of course you still are, silly! I still consider you as my friend, no matter what you do or say! Besides…" She gazed at the confused Rue with appreciation, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "I wanted to thank you… For what you said to those people back in Poland earlier… You must've disliked seeing me upset, so you defended me, even though you've angered and frightened them."

Recalling what happened during their mission's end, the strawberry blonde only nodded a little, her eyes bright as if to tell the older girl that she was welcome.

"Now then!" The Chinese female half-dragged, half-led the younger girl out of the room, heading off to who knows where.

"W-Where are we going?" The other asked, a quiet anxiety bubbling in her body.

"Now to worry! We're just going to head to the women's bath chambers!"

"W-Wait a minute! At least let me get my toiletries first!"

* * *

"Are you sure you don't need any help?" Lenalee asked with concern, knowing that Rue had disappeared momentarily to strip herself of her clothes, the question traveling all around the area.

"I think I'm fine." Rue called back, in the process of getting off her clothing.

"You've been taking a little too long in there…"

"I know, I'm sorry. I'll be out in a moment, okay?"

"Ah, don't worry about it! Just let me know when you're done."

_Damn. _Rue started cursing in her mind, a grimace on her face. _This is why I prefer to take a bath in my own bathroom since I've my own room here. But, going here is new to me, so I can come here once in a while. But…_

_I just don't want her to see… That part of me._ With that thought, her expression had a dark look to it._ But, if she does… What will she think of me?_

Getting off her the last of her clothes, she grabbed a towel from her own basket and wrapped it around her small torso. Before going out, she folded up her clothes neatly and put them on a nearby bench, knowing that she'd be picking them up later. Her sheathed daggers and her locket rested on top of her clothing. Gulping in anxiety, she sighed with resignation, determined not to think about her dilemma.

_This is it. Rafale's going in._

Opening the door of the changing room, Rue came out with a towel clad body, her basket of toiletries tucked under one arm. Every step felt heavy, being on edge felt was eating away at her insides. Nonetheless, she still went straight ahead, trying not to let her situation bother her.

Located at the lower floors of the Black Order, the women's bath was a spacious area. It was full of changing rooms, individual shower stalls, and an open bath that can be filled with a certain amount of females at a time. The flooring was white tiles, so that meant it was okay for females to sit at the open bath area. From a certain distance, Rue could see steam coming out from the bath, which meant that the water was at a warm temperature.

At the corner of her eye, she caught a naked Lenalee sitting at the edge of the open bath, her long legs wading in the water. It looked like she just started, though, since she was shampooing her hair at the moment.

"Ah, Rue!" Said-girl saw her friend, waving.

With only a nod, Rue had walked over to her location, setting her basket down and taking a seat between the basket and Lenalee.

"I was wondering when you'd come out!" She clamored with a smile, her hands busying themselves in her hair. "There's no need to be embarrassed since we're both female."

"I know." Absentmindedly, Rue took a bottle of shampoo from her basket, but not opening it yet. Taking off her towel temporarily, she dipped her whole body into the open bath and dived down. Surfacing, gasping for air, she was now wet from head to toe. Hoisting herself up, she hastily wrapped her towel around herself again and took her shampoo bottle again; this time, she was squeezing the container, letting a liquid substance take up space on her right hand.

Rubbing both hands together, the Exorcist-in-training put both hands up and rubbed the matter on her head, suds forming as she did so.

Here, they only made small talk with each other, in quiet voices for fear of anyone eavesdropping outside. While Lenalee would smile or frown in their conversations, Rue kept her face blank of emotion, sometimes nodding to the other's responses, though she still talked.

Then, the chat shifted to an unexpected turn…

"You know…" Lenalee began serenely, having rinsed her hair out from shampoo and conditioner, scrubbing her body with a washcloth and soap. "It may not look like it, but… Before I became the person you know now, my life in the past wasn't as joyous as it currently is."

At this, Rue only nodded to show her friend that she was listening intently, this piquing her interest. Though her own, short hair had been washed clean of lather, her towel was still wrapped around her body. Without a word, she took the opportunity to crouch down to help the other girl scrub her back, her own washcloth applying soap suds on the Chinese female's skin.

"I… I don't remember my parents." She murmured quietly, her face expressing nostalgia. "I was too young to remember their faces at the time, but they were killed by Akuma. As you know, Komui is my older brother, thus making him my only family left."

As the strawberry blonde rubbed Lenalee's neck, shoulders, and back, she nodded quietly in reply.

_Lenalee…_

"Once they discovered I could wield Innocence, the Dark Boots, they took me away from big brother Komui. They didn't care… They just thought of me as another weapon in this war. At the time of my darkest hours, the only person who cared for me in the Order was the Head Nurse."

_The purpose of us Exorcists… And for us needing to win this war…_

"I wanted to be with my brother. I didn't want to wield Innocence. I didn't like the fact that I got taken away from my only family, only to be used as a weapon. So… Countless times, I would try to commit suicide."

_What…?! Y-You, to go far as attempting to take your own life… Lenalee… It must've been difficult; really, really difficult…_

"But, each try was stopped. They didn't want me to die. One day, when I had made an effort to do it again, they tied me down to a bed to permanently stop my suicidal tendencies. Until I learned to stop and accept my fate as an Exorcist, I was to be confined in the room." At that memory, her smile was wry. "I was about six or seven at the time. But, what did they know? They weren't the ones who had only one person caring for them; your only family member, no less. My world was dark, I really felt like there was no point of living."

_Even if Lenalee is a cheerful person now, she really did suffer in the past. To think it was like that for her…_

"However," her bitter smile turned to a warm one. "As much as I didn't know how long I was isolated from the room… My brother came into the Black Order to volunteer on becoming its Supervisor. Seeing his face, telling me that he's back right by my side, so I didn't have to suffer anymore… For the first time in a long time, I was able to show emotion, crying tears of joy."

_So, this explains how Sir Komui was in the Black Order too. Becoming the Supervisor all for the sake of his younger sister… Heh, I guess it explains why he's extremely overprotective of her. Nonetheless… Sir Komui and Lenalee really do have close ties._

"Of course, my childhood friend in the Order is Kanda since I met him when I was eight," she laughed a little at the memory, remembering that she mistook him for a girl. "But, I'll save that for another time."

"Lenalee." Rue finally broke her silence, still busying on scrubbing her back, unable to express her sentiments as she wasn't sure what to say. Having stopped her task, the younger girl took Lenalee's hand and squeezed it as if to tell her that everything was all right. Feeling that, the Chinese female smiled slightly.

"If you're wondering why I told you that story…" Here, Lenalee looked over her shoulder and smiled at Rue. "This is what friendship is all about, opening up about your past; although, you don't have to tell me your story now. I know you're not the type who speaks of it so easily, so I'll respect that. I just wanted you to know that side of me, that's all."

Rue quietly gathered her thoughts, having stopped scrubbing Lenalee's back. Nodding in gratitude, the Chinese female jumped into the open bath, washing the suds off her whole body. She emerged from the water, her long hair obscuring her face. With a laugh, she swept her hair away from her eyes, climbing back up on the ledge.

"Now, it's my turn to wash your back!" She declared, still smiling, as she started to dry her hair and body; then, wrapped the towel around herself.

The other stiffened at this, unsure on what to do. Her gaze looked from her own towel to Lenalee; then, back again. With a light sigh, she got up to her full height and hesitantly unfolded the towel from her flesh. Now nude, she sat down again with a dejected look, steering clear of eye contact from the Chinese girl.

"What's w—" As the girl was going to ask her friend why she looked forlorn, the question died down in her throat as she wore a look of shock. Large lilac eyes scanned the other female's back, seeing welts and scars all over.

"This," Rue began with an oddly detached tone, blue-gray eyes now dull. "This is what I consider the ugly side of me. This is the side I've tried to hide so long from others. Mind you, the information that both you and Lavi know through me… Only scratches the surface on what I've been through."

"Rue…" Her name was called in a whisper, Lenalee's fingers delicately tracing the assassin's back as if making an unspoken apology.

"I, also, don't remember my parents either." She started scrubbing her front torso now, not a flicker of emotion on her face. "The only memory I have of their faces is in my father's pocket watch because there's a picture of them there. But, I don't know what happened to them nor do I know what my life was like before living as an assassin. I don't even know whether I have other relatives or if I even have siblings."

Lenalee listened quietly, her face displaying sadness as she rubbed Rue's back.

"All I remember was I entered assassin training when I was three. Considering on my parents' circumstances, whatever they were, being taken into assassin training was some sort of adoption as well because I was being taken to Spain. However, it wasn't easy to go through it nor was I treated like a cherished child. Before entering the Underground Society, I went through Hell to get as strong as I am now. For five years, I had been tortured physically and mentally. I wasn't allowed to eat if I didn't finish my training rounds or I'd be confined for some time, only to be let out if I was assigned assassin duties. And every time I failed in said-duties, AKA get caught by my target, ending up killing more—other than the target—than necessary, and/or failed to even kill my culprit, I'd endured whip lashings. Hence…"

Stopping there, the assassin used her head to indicate her unspoken sentence, signaling to the other on her marked back.

"That's…" The girl couldn't find any words to say, appalled and speechless.

"I was treated as a weapon. My only duty was to kill, kill, and kill in order to survive; not only in that place, but when I went outside. Bloodshed was all I ever knew. They told me to throw away my emotions for that they said it was a hindrance to have them when being in this profession. If I had cried, get angry, lash out or show any other emotion… I'd undergo more whippings as punishment. It took a lot of restraint from crying every time pain was afflicted, but I took it long enough. When the suffering ended, sometimes, I'd cry when I was alone or I'd just lie there, wishing to die."

Lenalee ruffled Rue's wet hair, trying to give her some solace, as she rubbed her scarred back with soap.

"Riley was around that time, but he didn't know what had transpired. When he saw my bleeding back, he would ask what happened each and every time. I had to lie to him countless times in order for him not to do something drastic and, of course, for fear that I was going to get punished again if word got around. So, I lied. I lied, lied, lied for both of our sakes. And how I wish I didn't. I didn't like lying to Riley."

"You had to…" Lenalee tried to reason this, but Rue shook her head slowly, still feeling wrong about it.

"But, that doesn't make it right. One day, Riley had to go away to China for a few days because his assassination obligations were there. At that time, I was in England, assigned there. I got caught, but eventually killed the target. However, once word got around back at Headquarters that I was sighted, I endured my whip lashes. I was eight at that time; by then, I had no emotion in me. All I could do was apologize for being such a failure.

"I thought I'd get another one, but Riley took the blow on his cheek. He demanded to the Commander on what he was doing to me, defending me right on the spot and not caring on what would happen to him as long as I was safe… Wanting to put an end to it, Riley murdered the Commander with his own hands. Knowing what consequences would follow if that came out, Riley carried me and bolted out of there. As I said earlier, the Headquarters were in Spain, so it took us a while before we got to France."

And so, the truth of her nightmares was unleashed into the open.

"You managed to escape…?" Lenalee queried numbly, feeling her voice wasn't her own as she took in the information.

"Barely. The travel from Spain to France had proven difficult, especially when Riley would be going by foot most of the time while carrying me. Not only that, but our own comrades from HQ turned against us and was tracking us down, most likely because of the Commander's death. Sometimes, we managed to escape using our tactics; other times, Riley had to fight them on his own since I was in no condition to do so myself. We did a lot of hiding that time too. I really thought we were going to die."

A heavy silence hung in the air, Lenalee still scrubbing Rue's back, her thoughts swarming in different directions and her opinions jumbled. To think that Rue herself would go through a lot… This really explained everything. Nonetheless, Rue continued on speaking indifferently, her eyes staring off into space.

"Though being unable to show emotions and not feeling them were already second nature to me, a very small part of me—though I was very, very unwilling to admit it—was terrified. After all of the personal Hell I went in, I didn't want to die. I still wanted to find my purpose aside from this. We arrived in Lyon, France (which was where I was originally from, anyway), and hid, knowing there were many who still wanted us dead. Even so, it didn't stop Riley from hiring his own assassins to form a clan. Given on what was shown in Spain, Riley didn't want corruption or anything of the sort to happen in the world. And so, the Underground Society was formed. Our purpose: to eliminate those, be it in France or elsewhere, who are corrupt or harmful in any way."

"And then?" Inquisitiveness was Lenalee's tone now, idly tracing the rune tattoo at the back of the strawberry blonde's neck. It was such a story that was hard to believe, but it did explain a lot of things about Rue.

"I still continued on my assassin life with Riley by my side until I was summoned to the Black Order by Lavi and Kanda last year. Riley had always been there for me when we first met in Spain, but we weren't able to talk so much due to our schedules and what not." The insipid blue-gray had light in it now, nostalgia clear in her eyes. "But, when we got to talking, I enjoyed his company, so I felt free in the Underground Society because I knew he was there to stay with me. Even though we're not blood-related, he's like an older brother to me. Heh… In a way, because of his overprotective instincts towards me, he's like Sir Komui."

Rue shook her head incredulously, this time out of humor, as a snort escaped. This caused Lenalee to be a little startled, but she waited for Rue to say why she was like this.

"Really," the strawberry blonde resumed, chuckling a little as amusement unfolded on her face. "Since the populace of the Underground Society was male, he'd get fiercely protective about me. He'd threatened them if any harm came to me or if I, somehow, end up bathing with them (this also explained why I had my bathroom in my room back there). Many were suspicious why this was, of course, but they dared not question it. Mind you, I had my habit of looking like a male for a long time before the Underground Society was officially established, so the majority—save for Riley due to obvious reasons—still don't have a clue that I'm female."

"They really don't, huh?" It was Lenalee's turn to giggle, also amused about this as she stopped soaping the other's back. "I can't blame him, though. With all you've been through, it's no wonder he's so keen to keep an eye on you. And you're right… He does sound like my brother, in a way."

"Honestly! To keep qualms from ever surfacing amongst the males, Riley still called me by my codename, Rafale. Only in private would he ever call me by my real name. But, damn…" She shook her head again, a cluck from her tongue was a sign of showing slight irritation. "They really should stop being nosy about it. They tend to resent me for it, though, since they feel Riley's giving me special treatment."

"Ouch, that must've been hard to deal with, huh?"

"Of course, even though it was more of a hassle than a difficulty. But, once Riley revealed to them that we were siblings, they finally clamped their mouths shut on that one."

Being covered in bubbles from neck to toe, Rue plummeted into the large body of water, rinsing herself off completely. She stayed there for a few seconds, wanting to warm her body up; afterwards, she, too, scaled up the perimeter of the open bath. She got her folded towel and wrapped it around herself, wanting to indulge in the warmth, her short hair dripping wet.

"Riley actually wanted me to live my life, feeling so bad for me on living as an assassin. He wanted me to live my life beyond that." Rue mumbled softly, her eyes appearing almost gentle. "That's why when he heard I became an Exorcist (don't tell your brother, though!), he was relieved…"

"Of course he'd want you to do more than that… He's looking out for you." Lenalee answered in understanding, a smile on her face. "And nah, I promise not to tell my brother you've been sending letters to your home because Riley really does need to know… But, you're still looking for your purpose in life, right?"

"Still looking, haven't stopped searching…"

"It'll come to you! I know it will!"

As the two headed off into the changing room, setting the baskets of toiletries onto the bench, Lenalee stopped in her steps. When Rue was about turn around and ask, she felt a tender hold around her. At the corner of her eye, she felt Lenalee's body against her back, her arms embracing her small shoulders.

"Lenalee?"

"Opening up to me like that… Really made me happy, Rue…"

She felt a warm wetness dripping on her. Trying to get a good look at the Chinese girl, she was taken aback to see tears falling from the girl's purple eyes.

"Lenalee…?" She was confused about this, but she felt the need to apologize for making her like this.

"It's okay!" She replied cheerfully with a smile, as if reading her mind, while she released her and had one of her arms come up to her face, brushing away the teardrops. "I'm just so happy you've opened up about your life with me. It's like a breakthrough. One thing I forgot to mention… Don't think I think of you any less. Remember what I told you in my room and the day we came back from the Germany mission in December: I don't think of you as a monster or a murderer, my opinion of you hasn't changed."

"Well, I know I can trust you." Rue started to change into new underwear; then, her clothes. "Besides… It's because we're friends, right?"

The Chinese girl's eyes widened with astonishment while she changed as well. She wasn't sure if she heard those words correctly; but, they were truly spoken with authenticity. With that in mind, Lenalee Lee's mouth broke off into a wide smile.

"Yes!"

* * *

Looking at her father's pocket watch, the time was already 7 PM. Having ate with Lenalee in the cafeteria, sparred with Kanda in the training area, gone to General Tiedoll for her lessons on emotions, and giving Finder Armando an errand AKA delivering a letter to Riley, Rue really had nothing else to do. Though, she was halfway through the novel she had borrowed from the library, she still wanted something else to do.

Getting up from her bed, she opened the window and made a seat for herself onto the windowsill as she looked up at the night sky. She liked looking at the night sky, seeing an infinite amount of stars glittering onto the blanket of dark blue while a white full moon shone. It's been a pastime of hers during her assassin days when she wasn't so tired from work. Often than not, Riley and her would go on the rooftop of their hideout, lying there, and stargazing.

_I hope Riley's doing all right. Knowing him, though, he's probably overloaded himself with work again… _

Looking back into her room, a certain, black book was sitting on her desk…

Getting up a moment, she took the black book from her table and went to sit on the projection once more, flipping through the pages. From December to the present, so many things were written inside. Happy things, sad things, secrets, the conversations that slowly got them to know each other… They were all there.

Taking the pen that was already inside (it was used as a sort of bookmark), Rue began writing down her words…

_April 17__th_

_Lavi,_

_I ended up telling Lenalee about a secret of mine, a very dark secret. It was based on my life before coming here, my life as Rafale. What I told you was only a little bit compared to what I told her today. I know you're pouting about it as you're reading this, don't fuss that I didn't tell you. I will tell you about it when I see you in person again rather than write it here; it's better that way since I don't want this book to fall into the wrong hands, especially your grandfather. _

_For some reason, I feel like he doesn't like me, even though I don't see him all that often due to missions or the Bookman duties. Really, I feel this sharp glare at my back and, often than not, he gives me this look like I did something wrong. Maybe it's just me imagining things, let's hope I'm right._

_ Anyway, I hope you're doing okay. I heard you had a mission with Bookman in Switzerland, which probably explains why I haven't seen you all week. You better not be pushing yourself, though, or maybe you're just doing that on purpose, so you could get more sleep (and believe me, I know how much you crave for sleep as much as you do for yakiniku). If I find out you're overexerting yourself, be it on missions or Bookman duties, I WILL put wasabi in your food!_

_Opening up… Is that what it's like to be human too? Is this also growing up?_

With that, she closed the book, sliding off the window's ledge. Closing it, she took the book in her arms and went out of her room, heading for Lavi's quarters.

* * *

With a sigh and a yawn, Lavi got back to the Black Order around 10 PM, Bookman trailing right behind him.

"What a week." The redhead mumbled grumpily, unable to stifle another yawn.

Hitting his grandson right on the head, Bookman chided sternly, "Work is work, Lavi. You should know that better than anyone."

"I know, Gramps, but it doesn't stop me from feeling like this. Really, I can't wait to hit the hay."

"Well, I've given you Bookman duties, anyway, during the mission, so there's no need to push you. Get some sleep; you have a long day ahead of you tomorrow."

"Man!" The Bookman apprentice whined, shooting his elder a slight glare. "Old Man Panda, you better not wake me up so early in the m—"

"Don't call me that, idiot apprentice!" The shorter, elderly male gave his grandson a punch in the face this time. "Just be happy that I'm giving you your rest!"

"Fine, fine." He grumbled grudgingly, rubbing his cheek, knowing fully well there would be a bruise in a couple of hours. "But, I'm telling you not to wake me up so early in the morning or else I'll end up dozing off during my duties."

The other hand no reply as the two continued making their way into the building, Bookman tottering quickly to keep up with Lavi's long strides. Once they were going their separate ways to their respective rooms, the elderly man took the opportunity to speak again before departing into his quarters.

"Lavi." Simple, but serious.

"Yeah, Gramps?"

"That girl, Rue Marucut… From now on, I'll be keeping a close eye on her. I'm starting to see that she's…"

Hearing this, the drowsy look on the redhead's face instantly turned into a small frown.

"Gramps?"

"…Nothing." He finally concluded after a long silence, closing his eyes. "Forget I said anything."

And before the redhead could question his senior further, Bookman immediately went inside of his room without a word, the door following along and closing shut without a sound.

Befuddled about this, and uneasy just as well, Lavi retreated into his own room, the frown still there.

_I wonder what Gramps meant by that…_

_Well, from what it looks like, he's already gotten an idea of that girl. _Deak responded indifferently, though he had a glower of his own. _Even I'm not too sure what it's about._

_I don't have a good feeling about it at all… _Deciding to take his mind off of it, he found the exchange diary on his bed.

Going over there, he picked up the book and flicked through the sheets. Finding the recent entry that Rue had written, he took a pen from his desk and sat down in the chair, deciding to write his reply.

_April 17__th_

_You ended up telling something to Lenalee, Rue? Something about your past? Damn it! If I knew that was going to happen, you should've told me! _(Yes, Lavi did pout as a reaction.) _But nah, I won't hold it against you. After all, I was away to Switzerland for a week, so I wasn't able to make any contact with you at all. Anyway, yeah, I know you're going to tell me in person since it's unsafe to write it here, so I'm glad that we're thinking alike on this one._

_Eh…? _(Lavi's frown deepened as he was trying to write his thoughts out in regards to his elder. Nonetheless, he had to ease Rue on this.) _You feel that Gramps doesn't like you? I'm sure that he doesn't see you in a negative way! Maybe with a neutral outlook, obviously because of the Bookman duties, but… You really do feel put-off about it, huh? Don't worry! Everything will be okay. I think you're just feeling paranoid about it. Gramps wouldn't hold some ill feelings against someone who's considered an Exorcist in the Black Order…_

_The trip to Switzerland was exhausting. Aside from going with Bookman obligations there, we were working on the mission. We didn't find Innocence, just Akuma causing havoc. Don't worry so much, I'm not pushing myself. Wow, you really do know me well, eh? _(A small smile appeared on his face; which disappeared just as quickly at the mention of wasabi, a shudder and disgusted look replacing it.) _Shorty, don't try to kill me with that stuff! And if I find out you do put wasabi on my food, I WILL give payback, mark my words!_

_Opening up… I'd say you're making progress on that. Whether it's growing up or being human… I guess it depends. People do have different opinions on what makes a person human or what's growing up to them. To me, when it comes to you, this is your way on growing up to being human. _

Finishing the last of his musings, he closed the book and got up. Without much to think on now, he went out of his room and decided to make a drop off at Rue's bedroom.

Opening the door quietly, so not to disturb her, Lavi quietly moved in. He saw that the room light was dim, the light source being a candle on a night stand that was next to the bed as well as the moonlight from outside. On the bed was Rue sleeping in her night clothes, hugging a certain stuffed animal…

He smiled softly as he saw the younger girl cuddling the fox plushie he had given to her last Christmas. He placed the journal under her pillow, making sure a portion of it sticks out, so she could see it when waking up. Just as he stood up to his full height and prepared himself to leave, his one eye caught a small frown on the female's face.

"I don't want to die…"

His ears perked up as he heard this. Looking at Rue intently, he saw that she was frowning more, squeezing the fox plushie as if she needed security.

"I have to find it… I have to find my purpose on being alive…" She carried on sleep talking, her face looking tortured. "Blood… Why do I have to keep seeing blood…?!"

This worried him, his eye wide as he fully turned himself around to go back to Rue. Kneeling besides her bed, seeing that anguished expression made him feel yet another forbidden emotion—out of many—from his heart. Ignoring it, refusing to let it show on his face, one of his hands moved up to her and placed itself on her head.

Slowly, he started to pet her head; at least, to give her comfort from the nightmares she was dreaming about. From his touch, her face became serene as the time passed. He still kept on his gentle ministrations, hoping this would calm her down.

When seeing that Rue's breathing was back to normal, Lavi tentatively withdrew his hand back to his side, getting up from his kneeling position. But before he left the room, he just tousled her hair softly for the last time as if to give her the notion that everything would be all right.

_Good night, Rue. _Lavi thought, looking back at her one last time. _I hope you find your purpose…_

As the door closed with a click, blue-gray eyes fluttered open a few seconds later. Disoriented and groggy, she blinked, not sure what had taken place. But, she could've sworn she felt someone's presence with her, even if it was only brief.

"Thank you…" The sleepy voice of Rue whispered softly, falling back into a peaceful sleep.

Meanwhile, as the Bookman apprentice went back in his room to retire for the night, two people were still up.

With a contempt look on his face as he was reading his books, Bookman was determined to find out what he needed to know.

_The Bookman code has zero tolerance for attachment. A Bookman doesn't need emotions, especially the one called heart. But, Rue Marucut, you're one of the reasons why my grandson is slowly changing… And I don't like it one bit._

On the flipside, with the Bookman apprentice having fallen into his slumber, the 48th façade of Deak talked in a low voice of his opinion. He, too, was aware of what went on, especially between Lavi and Rue.

_Lavi… You already know that it's forbidden to become part of the Exorcist life. You already know that emotions shouldn't interfere with Bookman duties. All emotions are forbidden, but what you don't realize is…_

_The most illicit sentiment that's not to be felt at all costs is affection. And whether you're aware of it or not, know that…_

_It's already starting to begin. You're beginning to feel adoration for Rue.

* * *

_

Hitomi: o_o What the Hell?! XD I'm already done with another chapter?! Well, it's because it's semester break, so I've a few more days before I go back to school.

Originally, this was supposed to be a humorous chapter. Like, it was supposed to be an April Fool's chapter, but… For some reason, my mind geared on writing something on the sisterly bond of Lenalee and Rue. I guess it's because I needed more between them, so I wanted them to have some time together. As for the April Fool's idea… *evil grin* I know I'm going to use it…

Yes, I ended up writing a bath scene for this to happen; of Lenalee revealing her past as well as Rue revealing her own. Now, you know why she has nightmares of being in pain, of why her back burned every time. It's because of scars on her back from whip lashings. Now, you know what her life was like before entering the Black Order and the Underground Society. As you can see, she knew Riley for a long time too before the Underground Society became official.

I'm still trying to develop more of her past, though, as I do need bright points in it. After all, we have to find out what Rue's life was like before becoming an assassin as well as the whereabouts of her parents.

Now, I also revealed how Rue delivers her letters to Riley (since Komui prohibits it). XD Apparently, she's been getting Armando (Finder from the Germany mission) to send out her letters whenever he goes out on missions. Oh, right, I'm supposed to reveal soon if Edina is alive or not. Don't worry, you'll know very soon.

Yep, I'm still using the exchange diary idea, eheh, and I still intend to keep using it since this is how Lavi and Rue bond when both of them are busy with other things.

Heh, a little Lavi and Bookman interaction had been in. XD As usual, Lavi is calling him panda…

A little Lavi x Rue, but not by much.

Looks like Bookman is being very suspicious… And Deak, too, is aware. Looks like Lavi and Rue will be in trouble sooner or later…

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'll put up the next one as quick as I can!


	17. The Tiedoll Family

Hitomi: o_o And again, I didn't expect this to be so popular! Thank you all for the support, really! As long as there are people who are reading this, I guess it explains why I've been writing so much, haha!

Apologies for the mistakes… And for possible OoC, again…

But honestly, I thank all of you for reading this as well as appreciating it for what it is!

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

* * *

**Unravel**

**XVII**

**The Tiedoll Family**

[_Froi Tiedoll is the kind and loving father who cares for his children._

_Marie is the quiet, calm brother who makes me feel at ease._

_Daisya is the dependable, noisy brother who I can always talk to._

_And Kanda is the disagreeable, grumpy brother who I constantly bicker with._

_Even though we're dysfunctional in a way,_

_Little by little, I see them as my "family."_]

* * *

It was such a struggle to carry herself on her feet. As they were still a few miles away from the Black Order, in the early afternoon, she always found herself tripping or falling head first because of overwhelming fatigue and being so out of focus. Her body bore numerous wounds; some were minor, some moderate (her comrades, though they had their own injuries, didn't take as much physical punishment). But she still fought back the excruciating muscle pain, pushing herself to go on out of sheer willpower.

"Shit…" She growled, her voice hoarse, feeling her body weaken again. "Come on, get up and move already, we're almost there…"

"I thought you said you were fine when we were back in Portugal!" A male protested to the female, a look between concern and surprise given to her. "Damn it, I told you it was a good idea to take a break before going back!"

"I am." The female snapped back frigidly, her stubbornness kicking in, though she felt her knees about to give way. "Don't worry about me, I can take this."

"Like Hell I'll believe that! You look like you're about to drop dead any moment now!" The other looked skeptical to the obviously tired girl; then, he turned to their third companion with a curt nod. "Marie, you already know what to do."

"Don't you d—"

Before Rue could complete her sentence, the dark skinned, burly man picked her up with ease.

"M-Marie!" Horrified at this, she squirmed in his hold, making more protests on how he should put her down, that she could walk on her own feet, that she was fine, etc. However, Noise Marie wouldn't have any of it. Tuning out her complaints, he silently placed her on his shoulders to sit on.

With wide eyes, Rue had a wonderful view of the setting before them, given on how Marie was taller than her by a couple. Her fussing quieted down, her arms resting on Marie's head, but she was still sulking on how she was being treated like this. With resentment, she shot a cold glare to the other male below.

Sensing her glower, he laughed it off, trying to reason with her, "Oh, come on, Rue! I was doing you a favor by letting Marie carry you!"

"No, you weren't, Daisya." She retorted with an incensed huff, still quite obstinate about doing things on her own. "Now, I feel like a child when being carried like this!"

Daisya Barry laughed at how she was acting; Marie only smiled at this in silence.

"Don't deny it!" He continued teasing lightly, doubling over in laughter. "You like it; you're just too tenacious to admit it! Besides, you look a kid, anyway, so what's there to fuss about?!"

"Don't push your luck. When I get better from this, I'm going to get back at you for saying such a remark."

"Awww, how cute! You hear that, Marie? Our little sister's trying to act tough!"

"…Forget it, you're impossible." Rue rubbed her temples, quite annoyed at the moment.

"Daisya: 1, Rue: 0!" Daisya crowed victoriously, pumping his fist in the air with triumph.

"One of these days, Daisya… One of these days…"

All the while, Marie was just smiling quietly, amused of the two.

Finally arriving at the Black Order, they entered and went straight to Komui's office, giving in their report.

"Welcome back!" Komui greeted them with a smile, nodding as Marie handed in the vital information that was residing in the folder. His grin widened as he saw the young girl on the tall male's shoulders. "You look like you're having fun up there, Rue."

"Sir Komui, don't say such things!" The strawberry blonde yelped, embarrassment flourishing her cheeks in bright red. "And Daisya, don't you dare say anything!"

"Hahaha!" While waving one of his hands dismissively at her, Daisya was having a good time making fun of her. "I won't, but hehe… Who would've thought someone like you would be easily embarrassed like this?"

"DAISYA!"

"All right, all right!" A broad grin spread all over his face when he met a blue-gray scowl. "I'll stop before you die of humiliation. Seriously, you're as red as an apple right now."

Komui watched silently, feeling mirthful when seeing how the "daughter" of Tiedoll's unit would interact with her "brothers." It was as if she belonged with them all along.

Realizing how loud she was yelling, she dropped her voice to a whisper as she apologized to the male that was carrying her, feeling really guilty.

"I'm really sorry, Marie…" She knew that because of the Austrian man's blindness, he used his Innocence—Noel Organon—in order to enhance his hearing, so she must've been hurting his ears with the racket.

He only nodded in understanding, knowing that she didn't mean it.

"How was the mission to Portugal, anyway?" Komui asked curiously, wanting to know—even if a bit—of what went on there.

"A bit rough," Daisya answered sternly with a nod, the Charity Bell attached to his hood tinkling. "There were a lot of Akuma as usual. Many Lvl. 1, but there were some 2 and even 3 placed there."

"Really? Sounds difficult…" Noting this with a concerned frown, the Chinese male continued. "And did you find out what caused the abnormal activity in Portugal?"

"We already made sure to look for Innocence, but there wasn't any. So, obviously, the cause of the chaos going around Portugal was two Akuma, both of them Lvl. 3."

Recalling details from the brief, irregularity came in the form of constant weather conditions. It would be blazing hot one minute; then, freezing cold the next. The humidity of slowly approaching summer in the norm was already much to consider, but the temperature would rise to the point it was out of place and unbearable. As for the frigidity, it would start snowing in Portugal, sometimes even having blizzard storms.

"Well, it was easy for us to defeat them." The Turkish male continued with confidence; then, paused as he looked back at his two comrades, the young female in particular. "At least, Marie and I were able to keep up… Rue, however…"

When hearing this, Komui also glanced up at Rue and saw, with worry, that she was worn out to the bone. She was tolerating the injuries that were all over her body. While she put up an indifferent face, her eyes couldn't hide the weariness she was feeling and, if only just a little bit to be seen, pain. When feeling their stares, the fourteen-year-old did her best to ignore them, shaking her head as if wanting her exhaustion to go away.

"Don't worry, Komui." Daisya's voice jerked the Chinese male out of his thoughts, his focus back. "Rue was able to keep up with the battle, even making some damage on the Akuma in order to help us. However, we all know that her synchronization rate is still low, making her Innocence still weak compared to those who've trained with theirs for a long period of time, which is why she's still under Kanda's rigorous training. She pushed herself to the limit and, no, I don't mean the Innocence synchronization rate. That's far too risky due to the obvious."

"What he means is," Marie interjected calmly, a small frown on his face. "Rue seemed to be drained to begin with ever since the start of the mission; she looked like she didn't get enough sleep. I'm also sure that she didn't have time to recover fully from Kanda's training the day before, and with fighting a lot of Akuma today, her body must be aching a lot. Moreover, as you can see, she received a lot of injuries on her body during the Akuma battle. Even if she was aware of this weakness, it still didn't stop her from fighting."

Shaking his head, the Supervisor smiled slightly.

"That's just how she is, though." Komui commented softly, his apprehension still evident. "Even if you try to stop her, she'll refuse to do so and continue on, even if it means overexerting herself. But really…"

Here, he gave Rue an anxious expression.

"I told you not to push yourself too much, Rue." He remarked worriedly with the faint smile still there. "I know you want to prove yourself to be useful to the Black Order, but there's no need to kill yourself in the process!"

"Sir…" She mumbled weakly, giving him a small salute.

"You've already proven your worth, so don't go beyond your limit often. If anyone tells you to rest; then, do as they say. I don't want you to feel so drained all of the time or you may end up getting sick."

"Sir—"

"Do you understand?"

"…Yes, sir…"

"Good girl. Marie, take her to the infirmary. And since I'm sure she's rather hungry right now, get her food from the cafeteria, Daisya. You three are dismissed, so get a good rest; that especially goes to you, Rue."

"Of course!" Daisya complied happily, going out of the office, as Marie—while still carrying Rue on his shoulders—went to do as he was told.

* * *

As her injuries were being treated in the medical wing, all the while accepting concerned scolding from the Head Nurse, Rue was on her hospital bed and busying herself eating food of the following: Spaghetti, ten sticks of pork barbeque, macaroni and cheese, shrimp sinigang with rice, and fruit salad. For her drink, it was a tall glass of strawberry milkshake.

"I knew you were hungry, but damn, you're devouring your food like you're preparing for a final battle or something!" Daisya piped in from her bedside, awed as he watched the small female eating away quickly. Marie, while sightless, heard on how fast her eating pace was from the way the utensils sounded.

"Well, it's been some time since having any food." Rue responded reasonably after swallowing down her food. "While I've had my moments of not eating for a certain period of time, it only makes my appetite increase further. Which reminds me, have you and Marie eaten already?"

"Yeah," Daisya replied, nodding. "I ate before ordering your food and Marie ate after bringing you here before coming back."

"I see, it's good that you two have made sure to eat." Leaving it at that, finishing all of her food and settling the empty platters on the nearby table, she started drinking the strawberry milkshake. The cold, sweet beverage really was the best way to finish her meal.

Moments later, General Tiedoll made his way into the room.

"Welcome home, my children!" He addressed to his pupils, a warm smile on his face, which initiated three reactions.

"Yo, General Tiedoll!"

A quiet nod.

"Thank you. It's good to see you too, General Tiedoll."

As the four talked about their day, from the trio's mission to the General's own busy schedule, it occurred to the higher ranking Exorcist that there was something amiss.

"Right, today is…" Daisya began, trailing off.

"It's June 6th!" The older male exclaimed, excitement lighting his features. "You know what this means, don't you?"

Daisya and Marie nodded; Rue, on the other hand, was befuddled on what this was about.

"But, you know how he is." There was a lopsided grin on the bandaged male's face. "Being his usual self and all."

"I know, but that doesn't mean he should skip out on it. After all, given his circumstances…" General Tiedoll looked lost in thought for a short instant; afterwards, he went back to his cheery disposition. "Anyway, he shouldn't be so disagreeable about it! After all, we should celebrate the occasion today as a family."

Then, he looked at Rue with care.

"But, Rue does need her rest first… So, let's celebrate it later."

Sleepiness began to course itself inside the female. With only a silent nod to show him that he was right on that, she laid down on the bed, letting it take over her.

"By the way…" Rue spoke softly, feeling that she was unable to keep her eyes open. "What are you talking about? What's the event for today?"

"You don't know?!" Daisya clamored incredulously, which got him hushed up by one of the nurses.

"What? I don't."

General Tiedoll was the one who answered her question and she heard his words before falling asleep.

"Today is Yuu's seventeenth birthday."

* * *

Waking up, finding it to be 6 PM on her watch, Rue stretched her body and hopped out of bed. After reporting to the Head Nurse that she was taking her leave because she felt better, she made her way out from the infirmary and wandered around the Order.

As she continued to walk, her eye caught two trails of dark green hair passing by…

"Lenalee." Rue called to her, her voice quiet but firm. "Have you seen General Tiedoll, Daisya, and Marie?"

"Oh, hey, Rue!" The other girl greeted her with a smile, carrying with caution a hot coffee pot, most likely on her way to serving it to Komui and the Science Dept. When hearing her question, she frowned a little as if thinking. "If I remember correctly, they all went to see Kanda…"

"Ah, all right, thank you. I figured they were going to, but I just wanted to make sure."

"I see, I'm glad I can help. Ah, that's right!" She seemed to have comprehended what the day was. "It's Kanda's birthday today, so they're most likely there for that reason. I already gave him my greetings. But, I don't know…"

The fifteen-year-old gave away a slight smile, shaking her head knowingly with her two pigtails whipping around her. The strawberry blonde-haired girl looked puzzled at this, which prompted her to clarify.

"It's just that, you know, Kanda's… Anti-social. So, he must be feeling irritated with them right now, especially towards General Tiedoll. And you know how General Tiedoll is." At this, the fourteen-year-old nodded in wholesome agreement, knowing fully well that the former artist was so paternal towards his unit. "He treats his apprentices like they're his own children. But Kanda, being the way he is, isn't used to that since he grew up in an uncaring environment and was treated as a weapon for so long until he came here… He still thinks emotions are a weakness."

_So, Kanda… Is just like me, in a way. _Rue concluded, feeling surprised, but keeping it under a mask of neutrality. _But, I had Riley to watch over me while Kanda had nobody looking out for him until General Tiedoll brought him here… _

_I shouldn't be thinking like this, I shouldn't._ She shook her head furiously, trying to reason herself on why._ I still see Kanda as my rival, he still makes me angry in more ways than one, and we always bicker and fight over a lot of things…_

Lenalee gave Rue a concerned look since she saw that the other suddenly went quiet, but the strawberry blonde was lost in thought.

_But… He's just like me. Being used and treated as only a weapon and discarding away emotions because it's been told—or perhaps we felt it was—to be a weakness. _She clenched a fist at her side, swirls of known and unknown emotions stirring within her. _Somehow… I feel like I've misjudged him. Why didn't I see through his actions, his demeanor?_

She jerked out of her reverie, feeling Lenalee's free hand squeezing her own, the one that was a fist. Looking up, she saw the Chinese female smiling slightly, her purple eyes showing some sort of sadness but support as well.

"You and Kanda may not get along, but you're both alike more than you're aware of." She said in a low voice as if having read her friend's thoughts. "He, as far as I know, is conscious of feeling emotions, but he looks down on them. You, on the other hand, are slowly learning them. You two fight a lot, I see it often, but there's an undeniable bond there. I'm sure that he sees himself in you as well."

She wanted to speak, she wanted to speak in order to understand more about this, but no sound would come out. She still felt the other female's squeezing her clenched hand.

"Don't worry, Rue. Kanda may be like that, but he's not wholly heartless as many observe him to be. I would know, having been a childhood friend of his for a long time, and also…"

Here, her smile grew.

"I knew that, deep inside somewhere, you weren't heartless either."

Leaving it at that, Lenalee let go of her hand and turned about-face, going on her way to Komui's office.

Hearing her quiet footsteps, when she was not too far away, Rue called her.

"Lenalee!"

Pigtails flaying about, the green-haired female turned around, surprise and expectancy written all over her face.

"Thank you!"

Hearing her gratitude, Lenalee smiled widely, waving at Rue to show that she was welcome.

Shifting her feet, the fourteen-year-old turned around and ran straight in the opposite direction, thoughts racing in her head. A certain redhead's words were recalled, ringing at the back of her mind…

"_A birthday is very important! This is the day when you were brought into this world! This is the day when you took your first breath and when your parents named you! This is the day when you marked your existence!"_

_Kanda, it may not be much, but… There has to be something I could give…_

* * *

"And you just had to drag me away like this." Kanda growled, clearly not amused, as he sat with General Tiedoll, Daisya, and Marie in the cafeteria. "Why did you do that?!"

With a loud laugh, Daisya answered, "Well, you knew this was going to happen, anyway, because of what today is!"

"Besides," Marie interjected evenly, a faint smile of amusement on his face. "If you didn't go; then, General Tiedoll would've used the Maker of Eden to make a duplicate of you."

"Yeah! One that looks so cheerful and smiling!" The other cackled, a mental image of this sort forming in his mind, which caused Kanda to scowl more.

"Well, you shouldn't skip out on such an event." General Tiedoll commented, a small smile on his face. "We're family, after all, and your birthday is very important."

Kanda only growled, not liking the fact that he got dragged out of his room, so his birthday could be rejoiced. What was the point of all of that? To him, it was only an ordinary day and nothing more, so it was a waste of time for him to celebrate such a thing. On top of that, it really got annoying with the General insisting on it, but that was just the way he was.

"Hm?" Marie sensed something with his hearing, it sounded like someone running…

"Sorry for being late." A voice called to the four males, making them turn around. With her hands on her knees, her body was bent as she was catching some air, looking tired.

"You're awake, Rue!" General Tiedoll cried out, smiling brightly. Marie only nodded to her in greeting.

"Oy, oy! You shouldn't run around when you still have injuries." Daisya chided sternly; but, he, too, was smiling at the sight of the girl being awake. "Are you better now?"

"Yes… I feel a lot better now, thank you." Looking up at them, she wiped sweat from her forehead with her arm, taking a breath. Tucked under her arm was a sketchbook and it was odd to find a white, powdery substance all over her clothes.

"Eh?" Daisya noticed this. "Rue, your clothes…"

"Ah!" With this, she dusted her clothes off, letting the white substance fade away. "I'm sorry about that…"

"It's fine." General Tiedoll said with a smile. "We're just wondering what happened on your way here."

"Well…" She was about to say something, but she clamped her mouth shut, saying nothing more. With puzzled looks from General Tiedoll, Daisya, and Marie, while receiving a nonchalant look from Kanda, she quietly sat down next to the General.

As they already ordered their food, the four—save for the sword-wielding Exorcist—were chattering away and enjoying themselves as they ate their meals. Kanda, who seemed to be a bit annoyed at this, just continued on to eating his soba as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening.

Suddenly, Jerry called from the counter, "It's ready, Rue!"

With the other three occupants giving her confused looks again as the one Exorcist only looked mildly interested, the female assassin casually got up from her seat without a word, walking past them as if ignoring them. Little words were exchanged between the cook and her, but she finally came back with a platter in her hands. And what settled on there was what looked like a chocolate cake.

Setting it down in the middle of the table, she still continued on her silence, placing herself next to the General again.

"Shorty, you know I don't like sweets." Kanda finally spoke bluntly, helping himself to another serving of soba.

"I know that, you idiot." She shot back indifferently, eating her mussels with Roquefort sauce and rice, knowing fully well that he didn't like sweets since, on the day after the bet they made, she got back at him by switching his soba order with mango crepe with a side of vanilla ice cream. That didn't go well, needless to say, though Kanda never figured out it was her who devised that. "But, why don't you try tasting it first?"

This earned her a sharp glare, which was probably saying something like, "You're fucking kidding me, right?" On the other hand, she shot him a glower of her own, a blank look on her face. There was no way she was going to get angry at him; at least, not for tonight.

"Now, now," The General began softly, sensing heavy tension in the air as he started to cut the cake with care. "Let's not fight, we're eating as a family."

"Yeah," Daisya agreed, stopping a moment from eating his shark fin soup. "Don't start quarreling. Besides, Kanda…"

Here, he shot a look at the boy who was one year younger than him.

"You really should eat that cake."

Kanda sighed with irritation, rubbing his temples. This was going to be difficult.

"…Plate." That was the only word they heard since he was mumbling.

"What?" The two queried while the female ate away at her lobster bisque.

"He's saying to give him a plate." Marie confirmed quietly, eating away at his cheese sausages and meat bread with rice.

Surprised, the General was happy.

"So, you're really going to eat it?!"

"Well," Daisya gave a small plate to Kanda, settling a piece of cake on top of it. "If he says he's going to, he's going to."

Letting it settle right in front of him, the Japanese male gave the dessert a withering glower as if it was the most offensive thing he's ever seen.

"Well, are you going to eat it or not?" A voice asked him this, which caused the dark blue-haired man to look up. He met a familiar, blue-gray gaze that was boring holes through him at this moment. Rue wasn't going to let this down; she will not, God forbid, let her efforts be wasted. "It's not like it's going to kill you, you know. Besides… Maybe it's not as sweet as you think it is…"

"And how would you know?" Kanda asked with a growl, shooting her a suspicious look.

She said nothing in reply, continuing to eat her food as if nothing happened. Curiosity was getting the better of him as well as agitation.

"…I never lied to you, did I?" She answered back cryptically, never letting her eye contact waver. "Why would I lie about it? You'll just have to see for yourself on whether it's sweet or not."

The sentiments growing stronger, unable to resist any longer and God knows why he decided to give in, he cut up a small piece with a fork and shoved the morsel into his mouth. He was prepared for the sickly sweet feeling in his mouth, ready to spit it out if need be. To his surprise, there was only a hint of sweetness since there was another flavor that was unexpectedly present…

Who would've thought it'd be found in a cake, which was always viewed as a sugary treat?

"Well?"

He was called back to reality, General Tiedoll and Daisya looking at him keenly. Marie was still on his actions as he was anticipating on Kanda's sentiments. Rue resumed eating her oatmeal toasted apple crepe, but she was all ears on his reaction.

"Mmm." This was the only thing they got out of him, his head nodding ever so slightly as if it was some sort of approval, as he continued eating the cake without complaint.

"What the?!" Daisya, baffled by this, looked at the strawberry blonde. "What a miracle, Rue! What's in there?!"

"Yeah, this is a first… Coming from Kanda." Marie noted, stunned.

"Is it really not that sweet?" General Tiedoll asked disbelievingly, his gaze on the "daughter" of the unit.

"Well…" She looked at the three of them with confidence, giving them pieces of the cake as she spoke. "You know how my clothes looked dusty earlier, right?"

They all nodded, noting that the white substance did stand out against her dark clothes, while they ate their cake slices. They were taken aback on the flavor too and, while it seemed odd, they ate it with delight.

"Well, that was because I was covered in flour… I…" Her voice turned down low, not letting Kanda hear it, her cheeks flushed as she bashfully admitted her plan. "I was helping Jerry in the kitchen. I told him that I wanted to give Kanda a present, so he suggested I make a cake. While this was a good idea, we both knew Kanda didn't like sweets. So, while putting little sugar in the recipe as I didn't want it to be too sweet, I advised dark chocolate since it's bitter."

"That's… A surprise, coming from you." The Turkish male managed to say, a broad grin on his face. "You, baking? I can't imagine it!"

The response to this was a sharp glower.

"Don't start, Daisya." She snapped, her face reddening. "True, I never was a female befitting for society, but this was something I had to learn at some point. My brother back home would try teaching me how to cook, but I ended up making blunders in some way or another."

This was true. The times when she lived with Riley, he would teach her how to cook. From the three meals to desserts, to even simple things like appetizers, he taught her all he could. But because of this, there was always chaos in the kitchen back in the Underground Society. Burning the food accidentally, undercooking the food, putting in the wrong ingredient, overdoing the flavor or barely putting any at all… Yes, this and a lot more were the mishaps occurring when it came to Rue and cooking.

"How embarrassing…" The female muttered shamefully, going back to eating her crepe, shaking her head at the memories when Riley would get really worried for her as they cooked together. "I should consider it a miracle that I didn't burn the cake or accidentally mix up the sugar and salt…"

This earned laughs from both Daisya and General Tiedoll, which made her scowl more. Kanda had no idea what they were conversing about, having busied himself with eating Rue's cake, while Marie looked really amused.

"Your only way of being feminine…" Daisya chortled in between heaps of laughter. "Destroyed!"

"Daisya!" Rue growled warningly, sorely tempted—quite ready, actually—to stab his eyes out with her fork. Kanda, when hearing this, couldn't help but smirk.

"At least Jerry will be able to help her in some way, though." General Tiedoll remarked cheerfully, giving a sympathetic look to Rue. "He is really good in his cooking, so Rue won't have any problems as long as he's around."

"Yeah… I think Jerry can help me with this… Problem." She practically blurted out the last word in distaste, helping herself to another crepe and a piece of cake to spare herself any more humiliation from talking about the topic. The three—save for the Japanese male—laughed at this, knowing how embarrassed she must be feeling when revealing what was considered—at least, to her—a taboo subject.

"This is a good cake, though, Rue. Even though Jerry helped you, you did your best." The former artist said, smiling with praise. Hearing this, she looked at the Austrian and the Turk, who nodded in agreement with smiles of their own.

"Thank you…" She mumbled bashfully, relieved that her hard work wasn't for nothing. She made note to thank Jerry later and, perhaps, she could ask him on cooking lessons.

The atmosphere was light and refreshing in the cafeteria, with the Exorcist team enjoying themselves. In this moment, they really were getting along as a family. And while Kanda was still being his usual self, somehow, he seemed to be a little relaxed.

When they departed from the cafeteria, they still had that positive mood about them. As they all went their separate ways to do their own things, Rue handed something over to Kanda in private. This was something that was ripped out of her sketchbook.

"What's this, shorty?"

"Just look at it when you're inside your room." With that, she went off to go to her own room, but before she called to him over her shoulder as the physical distance between them grew, "And happy birthday, Kanda!"

Puzzled, he departed into his own quarters, going onto the tatami mats. As he unfolded the sheet, he saw something there. On the white paper was a sketch of sorts. It was detailed, putting a lot of hard work in there. Though there were some things that needed to be worked on, they were only minor mistakes. From what it looked like, from his close inspection, it was a portrait…

A portrait of the Tiedoll unit.

In it, General Tiedoll was under a tree and sketching the scenery of the forest they were in. Marie was relaxing against the tree trunk, looking like he was napping. A stern Kanda was blindfolded, training with Mugen diligently. Lastly, a grinning Daisya and a scowling Rue were nearby, perhaps the older boy was poking fun at her in some way or another again. At the bottom right corner was something written there, Rue's signature.

For a moment, he was unsure of what to think, knowing now that this was something his teammate made herself, this something being just for him. Then, shaking his head, he took the paper and hid it under his pillow. Without saying anything about it, he took out Mugen from its sheath and sharpened it.

* * *

_June 6__th_

_Portugal had a difficult mission. Lvl 1 were in it, but Lvl 2 and 3 Akuma were put in the bunch too. Daisya, Marie, and I handled the mission well, but I seem to have taken more hits than them since I had injuries all over. On top of that, I had lack of sleep since the nightmares still haunt me from time to time. I was weak… Up to the point that Daisya had Marie carrying me on our walk back to the Order! ARGH, how embarrassing! Then, I went to the infirmary to get my wounds treated and rested there._

_It also occurred to me that… After a talk with Lenalee, Kanda is just like me in certain ways. Why I didn't realize it sooner, I don't know, but he and I are a lot alike than we know… Heh, I guess it's because we're so busy fighting with each other and just being rivals that we didn't see this. What an irony, really._

_I thought of you today… Your words on how a birthday is important, I still remember them. Thank you for telling me that. Why?_

_I didn't know that today was Kanda's birthday until General Tiedoll told me. So… I ended up making a chocolate cake—with Jerry's help—as a present (I gave him another present on our way back to our rooms, it was a sketch of all of us in General Tiedoll's division). Well, I made it dark chocolate since Kanda doesn't like sweets… I really thought we were going to fight, but he seemed to like it. Although, I can't be too sure myself as this is Kanda we're talking about. It was… Comforting, being with all of them… Heh, to think Kanda and I didn't fight at all tonight, what a phenomenon. _

_I'm starting to feel something. While I don't know my parents or anything involving my family life, is this what it's really like to have a family?_

Lavi had read those words from the exchange diary, already replying to it, smiling slightly at this. While he knew Kanda wasn't one to feel anything positive about this, it seemed that Rue was making attempts to reach out to him.

"So, she's starting to feel something…" The redhead mumbled under his breath, writing away his response and to write about his day. "Maybe she finally found another place she can call 'home?' That's the feeling I get from her when reading this."

_Well, she's been in the Order for a while now. _Deak said, having read the words too since he was in Lavi's conscience. _She feels something, but she's not sure what it is._

_I think she's starting to understand what life is like around here. _He replied calmly, still concentrating on writing. _I wish I could have something like that… After all, we are only spectators and not fighting in this war._

_That's right. The Bookman clan has no need for emotion or attachment. You really should stay away from such things. This is something forbidden to us._

With a sigh, the last of his words written on the paper, he shut the book. Getting up, he was going to make an errand, delivering the journal to Rue.

_Somehow, I feel that I'm changing too, but I don't understand… And I know I have to consider my duties, I still do. But…_

_But?_

_I'm starting to feel—_

When the door had opened, Lavi immediately put the journal out of sight—into one of the desk drawers—for fear of anyone who would see it. Just in time from hiding it came in Bookman.

"Well? Are you ready to go to the library, Lavi?" He asked calmly, giving him a look, wondering what he had been doing before he showed up.

Stretching his arms, Lavi only put a convincing smile and walked out past his master.

"Yep, Gramps. I already know what to do, the usual obligations." However, he did make note to deliver the exchange diary to Rue before going to bed.

With unsaid satisfaction, the older man nodded, closing the door after him as he followed his grandson. Part of him was relieved—or worse, glad—that Rue wasn't around to meet him.

_As long as she doesn't meet up with him so much, it's fine… I don't want her to become a hindrance to Lavi's goal. He's only meant to be the successor of Bookman, nothing more than that. We're only chroniclers…_

_I'll be damned if Lavi decides to be an Exorcist, or worse, become human.

* * *

_

Hitomi: o_o And done yet again! WHAT THE?! XD Man, I guess I wanted to move forward with this story. I'm surprised writer's block hasn't kicked my butt at this moment, so I should count my blessings on this one.

I wanted to write this chapter differently. The direction was going on writing about the entire Tiedoll unit. I know that Marie has been used in fanfiction (from what I could see), but I do rarely see Daisya around too (understandable since he was killed off in DGM). So, I wanted to write about Daisya too. Hopefully, I didn't make him OoC, I only used the knowledge I got from his personality (the filler episode in the DGM anime helped me most especially since it gave me a glimpse of his past). Marie too, even though I already know he's a calm person who doesn't say much.

Looks like Kanda isn't the only one making Rue mad anymore. XD Well, in Daisya's case, he only makes fun of her on certain things. If Kanda's the grumpy brother who bickers with Rue on just about anything; then, I'm making Daisya the reliable, boisterous brother who's always there for you. Since he's the eldest of his siblings back in Turkey, I wanted to show that side of him.

A little Lenalee and Rue time. Basically, Lenalee's trying to encourage Rue about Kanda. And to point out they were a lot more alike than they noticed… Haha, wow! Keep that in mind next time, Rue!

XD Yep, I've woven Kanda's birthday in this, so it was only natural of General Tiedoll for having his pupils spend time with him as a family. And what a way to get Kanda out of his room… *snickers* What a miracle on that. There were other miracles too, from Kanda actually eating Rue's cake and tolerating with it, or perhaps even LIKING IT (though he refuses to admit it), to Kanda and Rue not fighting for once. XD What the Hell?!

And poor, poor Rue, for being such a klutz in cooking… XD Daisya is poking fun at her on this and she wants to kill him. Hopefully, Jerry can do something about this! And she gave Kanda another present?!

And, of course, Lavi, Deak, and Bookman. As usual, the exchange diary is still there as this is how Lavi and Rue get to know each other when they're too busy doing their own thing. Looks like Deak is still keeping him in line of things, but Lavi's starting to doubt. And he didn't want Bookman to find out about it or else it's off to leaving the Black Order. Bookman himself seems to be scheming on separating Lavi and Rue bit by bit…

Now, I'm quite tempted to rewrite Unravel just a little bit. True, I've been making progress on this story, but I'm just coaxed to rewrite some things here and there.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this!


	18. Personal Mission

Hitomi: I'm very happy for the reviews, the favorites, and the alerts! Thank you all for reading this! XD It's really hard to believe that there are people who reading my writing and liking it, but I can see feedback in numerous forms, haha.

This gives me all the more motivation to continue writing, honestly. It's a wonder how I've been able to write these many chapters without being captured in the jaws of writer's block. o_o Seriously, this is a really good thing.

As for what I plan for this chapter… Actually, there'll be two parts of what I have in mind. Like, this is one half of my plan; then, the other half will be Chapter 19. So yeah, you'll see where I'm going with this.

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

* * *

**Unravel**

**XVIII**

**Personal Mission**

[_I've always considered you as a strong person, that opinion hasn't changed and it never will._

_But now, it's my turn…_

_It's my turn to take care of you this time._]

* * *

Rain fell down on the streets of Sweden as the Akuma battle raged on. The two Exorcists on the mission were going in synch, helping each other to win in this. As needles rained down on the Akuma, a fire snake appeared shortly after, obliterating them completely. Still in the process of elimination, wiping out the Akuma population, this was what the life of an Exorcist was like on a daily basis.

But, these two weren't going by that name. No, they were not supposed to be Exorcists. They were only speculators of history and nothing else. Such vital information will be passed down to many generations to come for that this was history in the making.

"Well done, Lavi." The old voice of Bookman said with praise, nodding with satisfaction.

"Thanks. You weren't bad yourself, Gramps." The redhead replied quietly, a slight smile on his face as his hammer shrunk to its normal size.

There was gratitude expressed amongst the Swedish people (those who were alive, anyway), rejoicing that the monsters that invaded their homes weren't around anymore. The female population, in particular, wouldn't stop doting over Lavi for his heroic deed.

"STRIIIIIIKE~" Going into Strike mode showed how much the boy liked—no, loved—the attention he was getting from the ladies because this was what he lived for. Unfortunately, this act of his earned him a punch to his face.

"Idiot apprentice!" The elderly man snarled vehemently, giving his grandson a disapproving glare. "As much as we both know you're a skirt chaser, it would do you much good if you'd focus more on your duties!"

"But, I am!" The other whined, holding his cheek and feeling it swell in injury. "Why are you so worried?! I'm going to take over after you in the Bookman line, anyway, old panda!"

"Did you say something?" The next glower was quite worse than the last.

"Ahaha, I—"

This time, it was a kick at the back of his head, which sent the redhead flying right into the train windows.

Slowly going into the train compartment, finding his apprentice had landed in one of the seats perfectly, he hissed towards him with seething rage, "Don't call me a panda, you amateur!"

Sitting up, blinking stars out of his vision, Lavi shook his head and rolled his eyes. The train began to move, going to its destination, as the rain continued to pour down heavily.

"Well, it's true that you are—"

"Do you want to get hit again?" Bookman stated calmly, giving him a look that wasn't there before.

As much as it was tempting to be a smartass, a third injury wasn't worth such a risk, so the Bookman apprentice clamped his mouth shut good for the rest of the way back. As the Bookman elder fell asleep, the younger was still awake, looking to be lost in thought. Water tapped softly onto the windows, being the only sound in the cubicle.

_I thought you'd want to sleep. _Deak stated, surprise in his voice. _After all, that's what you'd usually want, to get some rest._

_ I know. _The other replied quietly, one green eye watching the scenery outside. _But, apparently, I can't just doze off for some reason. I'm not sure why either._

_ Hmmm… Perhaps today's mission was a bit rough, huh?_

He said nothing, still keeping his lone eye on the outside surroundings. True, it had been a tough mission they were assigned with what looked like endless hordes of Akuma and many people getting killed. Not only that, it was difficult finding the Innocence that resided there, but they had found it as they barely made it out with their lives. It felt like so many mistakes had been made when they were doing this and he felt himself was to be blamed for all of the mishaps.

_The rain doesn't help either. _He noted dully, an unpleasant look on his face as he tried his best to sleep. However, one memory came to him quite clearly.

* * *

"_Lavi…"_

_His head perked when she called his name, but he didn't want to move anymore for he may feel he'll disturb her. Besides, he, too, was also comfortable with this as his head rested on top of her own._

"_Please… Don't shoulder your burdens by yourself. I know I sound like a hypocrite right now, but… I just want to be there for you when you have your problems…"_

_He only listened to her, nodding to let her know that he heard her._

"_I don't want you to be alone when you feel negative. I want to carry your pain too. And that's because… You're my friend… So… I'll be around if you need me, okay?"_

_He nodded again, not speaking. _

* * *

_Ah, that's right. The girl wants to hear you out if you feel like this. _Deak pointed out, watching that recollection pass by. _Are you going to go to her?_

_Why wouldn't I? _Lavi questioned quietly, knowing fully well that it was forbidden. But, this was something he felt so strongly that it just needed to be said.

_ But, the Bookman code—_

_ I know, but… She's one of the few I can trust, so bear with it._

_ Fine… But, the old man better not find you with her. He's already trying to keep distance between you two as it is._

* * *

"…I don't know it." She said at last, her already knitted brow creasing further as she sighed in frustration. "I don't remember feeling that way at all."

"I see," the older man nodded in understanding, patting her head softly. "It's okay, Rue. It's okay if you don't know what sadness is. Maybe it's best if you don't know it yet."

"Well, sadness isn't a good thing. Also, because I don't know what it's like, it makes it harder for me to… Well, connect."

General Tiedoll and Rue were in the library again, trying to decipher emotions as they always did; however, getting into the topic of sentiments that weren't experienced yet—such as sadness—bothered her to no end. At this, Daisya and Marie—who decided to come along in this session—were trying to make her feel better.

"Cheer up, Rue." Daisya tried to comfort her, messing up her hair affectionately. "General Tiedoll's right, sadness is a negative emotion and it's okay if you don't know what it is right now. Besides, there's already too much of that what with the Akuma and all."

"Also," Marie spoke serenely, his gaze gentle towards her. "You've yet to feel happiness, which is the opposite of that. But, you haven't come across that either, have you?"

Her sudden silence betrayed her answer.

"So, it's like that." The Turk broke the stillness, ruffling her strawberry blonde hair again. "It's all right… There's no need to rush on this. As I'm sure you've heard this from other people before, just take one step at a time. There's no need to rush things, just take them as the days go by."

"Right…" Her response came out in a discouraged mutter, a sullen sigh at her breath. Her forehead was pressing against the desk in front of her, the coolness of the wood simmering down what resentment she had towards herself little by little.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. This is what being human is like too, being at your limit…"

"I know, Marie… I know…"

At the corner of her eye, she saw General Tiedoll smiling warmly at her. Perplexed, she sat up and looked at him straight in the eye.

"Some things are to be experienced first, Rue." The General was trying to encourage her again, his gaze full of strength. "So, it's all right to be like this."

When hearing this, she started to recall words from the bottom of her heart…

* * *

"_You're not weak, Rue." Lenalee confirmed softly with a warm voice. Her arms were still hugging the other, hands still rubbing her back consolingly to make her stop shaking. "You're not weak, Rue, for feeling like this at all."_

"_Then… Then," Rue's voice was muffled, her head still resting against the other's shoulder. "What am I?"_

"_You're only human."_

* * *

"_It's not like you being like this is a bad thing, though."_

"_It… It isn't?"_

"_Nope! In fact, this is a good thing."_

"_Why?"_

"_Because you're slowly learning on how to be human. This is your way… Of growing up. You're growing up, Rue. Not as an assassin or an Exorcist, but…"_

"_But?" _

"_But as yourself, as Rue Marucut."_

* * *

"Rue?" Hearing her name being called, she came out of her reverie. Three pairs of eyes were on her and they were outside of the library.

"Y-Yes?" She stammered, kicking herself for spacing out like that.

"You looked like you were recalling something." The General observed, knowing now when Rue was being nostalgic. "What was it?"

"Nothing really, General Tiedoll. It was…"

"What was it?" Daisya and Marie asked her simultaneously.

There was a faint upturn on the female's lips, which caught the former artist and the Turk off-guard.

"I was recalling certain people who told me that it's okay to be like this." Her words spilled out honestly, a positive tone of sorts in her voice that had her Austrian companion feel taken aback. "So… I believe all of you. I don't have to hurry up, right?"

With a smile, Daisya ruffled her hair once more, responding with, "It's fine if you don't rush anything. Growing up is a slow process. But… I want you to promise me something."

"Eh?"

"While growing up… Have fun while you're at it, okay?"

She wasn't sure how to reply at that, but she gave her answer, anyway.

"All right…" She mumbled reluctantly, a nod following after. "I'll try."

* * *

Rue stretched her arms, breathing in the August summer air as she explored the flourishing plant life that was the garden in the Order's courtyard. A light drizzle had been falling for a while, so seeing the plants having water droplets on them made them refreshing to look at – to the girl, at least. Having a sketchbook and pencil in her hands, she sat down on a nearby bench that was propped under the roof and started to draw what was around her. Soon, that one page was filled with all sorts of flora and shrubbery and the girl had her eyes on them to sketch them to the very last detail.

_Nature, to me, is the natural beauty of the world. _She mused truthfully, studying the plants with a critical eye, in full concentration as she made an attempt to capture the essence of their colorful magnificence. _I feel that people don't appreciate it all that much nowadays…_

With the quiet because of no people around, save for the constant commotion inside the Order, and the garden, she felt herself feeling at peace, somehow. The whispering of the light rain was the only sound around her, other than lead writing on paper, and it felt tranquil to her.

_What's this? _The sentiment was faintly there, but she could still feel it. _When was the last time… I felt like this? _

* * *

_It was a quiet night in France and some rooms in the Underground Society were lit while numerous others were dark. In one room in particular, it was brightly lit by a light source. The walls were painted dark blue, orange swirls bordering them. While mostly vacant, some parts of the walls had items on them like portraits, a map of France, and some display weapons. In the upper left side of the room was a bookshelf filled with, typically, books and novels; with it accompanied a large drawer filled with clothes and such, on top of it being a clock and essential stuff like a hairbrush and the like. On either side of a comfortable bed were nightstands, lamps—bright with light—on them._

_A small figure was sitting in the upper right corner of the simple but spacious room, curled up in a ball, being no more than the age of nine. A black cloak, larger than the child, draped from the shoulders to covering the whole body – from the white of a buttoned cotton shirt on the upper torso to the dark blue of cotton clad legs that was hiding the person's face. Long, strawberry blonde bangs—but, so short at the back— obscured the person's round face, blue grey eyes holding an unknown expression. They looked distant, tired; perhaps, some combination of the two._

_As the child heard the door open, she didn't move or react. Judging by the familiar presence, and having an obvious connection to this room, she already knew who it was._

"_Rue."_

_Being called, her head only shifted a little, not even bothering to look up on who spoke her name. The only reaction that probably came out of it was the way her tiny hands tightened the hold of the coat around her as if attempting to hide from view._

_A low chuckle came from the person, a warm hand patting her head affectionately; then, proceeding to sit on the bed, the mattress creaking a little under the pressure of his weight._

"_Can't sleep, eh? After all, you did come into my room. Didn't expect to find you here, though, since I thought you were already asleep." The familiar voice continued speaking, the owner shaking his head. "Why, what's wrong? Anything bothering you, kiddo?"_

_It was only quietness that greeted him. But, after many minutes, a small voice spoke._

"…_Alone."_

"_Eh?" The figure of the fifteen-year-old Riley swiveled his head in her direction, confusion in his cherry red eyes. "Rue?"_

"_I don't like being alone."_

_Lowering her legs and loosening her grip on the jacket, she inclined her head up to meet his face. At that moment, blue-gray eyes looked like a faraway storm, concealing what wasn't supposed to be seen, perhaps what she didn't want her companion to see…_

"_I don't like being alone, especially in a dark room… I keep getting nightmares with blood in it, lots and lots of blood. That's why I'm here."_

_This took him back by surprise, it shouldn't have, but he knew that that was still bothering her deeply. It had been a year since they escaped from Spain and since they formed the Underground Society. Even though their lives were a lot more peaceful than they ever had been, she was still like this. Dark dreams relentlessly plagued her mind when she was asleep; haunting memories of her whip lashings, be it when she failed to fulfill her objective or when showing emotion once before. Her back always had a burning sensation after waking up from them, a bitter reminder of the harsh reality; the physical scars were enough to prove that._

"_Rue…"_

"_I don't like it… Riley. I really don't."_

_He sighed softly, pressing a hand to his temples. He really hated it when she was so troubled like this, wanting desperately to help her. Being together so long, Riley always looked as Rue as a younger sister to watch over, despite Rue being adamant on being able to take care of herself._

_Getting up, he went over there. Without a word, he had silently picked the small girl up; then, settled her onto the bed._

_Confused blue-gray met warm red._

"_Then, if that's the case… Why don't you sleep with me?"_

"_Huh? Riley?"_

"_I mean…" Riley tousled her short hair, his face caring. "When you have nightmares… You can always sleep here. And I'll be there right by your side since you're unable to sleep alone, right?"_

_Now reluctant blue-gray avoided the red's gaze._

"_But…" Rue's small voice mumbled, a small hand holding onto a long, left sleeve of his green nightshirt. "I'm sorry… I'm being a problem to you, aren't I?"_

"_No, Rue, you're not." He retorted sternly, squeezing the hand that was grasping his sleeve. "You're not, okay? Don't think that way."_

"_Okay, but I'm still sorry…"_

"_There's nothing to apologize for, Rue, because you haven't done anything wrong."_

_Within a few minutes, the lamps were already switched off as they settled there on the bed. Having buried themselves under the blankets, they both took positions on making themselves comfortable. Rue still kept her distance on close physical contact; however, Rue's small hand clung onto his left sleeve again. Though she could not see it, feeling that made the older male smile._

"_Don't worry…" Riley mumbled sleepily, his other arm petting her head as he felt her shaking a little, probably out of nervousness. "I'm going to protect you. I promised that a long time ago and I promise you again. I won't leave your side when you have bad dreams, so if you wake up, you'll still find me here."_

"_Really?" This was asked with a yawn. "You'll… Still be here?"_

"_Of course. Now, get some sleep, I want you to grow up into a strong girl and I won't let you get sick."_

"_Heh… You worry too much…"_

"_I have to." A knowing, humorous grin. "It's my job."_

"_I know… And I'm grateful for that." Her voice was soft, another yawn escaping as sleep took over her conscience, her trembling ceased as she calmed down. With him around, she knew she was in good hands. "Good night, Riley."_

"_G'night, Rue." The right hand petting her head stayed there, giving her reassurance that she was safe with him._

* * *

Rue felt like she came out of a dream after having that flashback, watchful blue-gray eyes obscure.

_This sentiment… Yes, there's no doubt about it… It's peace… I feel relaxed._

She had been so entranced that she was barely aware of someone's aura near her. With quiet steps, the presence had walked over to her and sat besides her silently on the bench.

From the corner of her eye, she caught a fiery red. But, she didn't need to be afraid; she already knew who it was because she was familiar of his company.

"Lavi. Welcome back."

He hadn't replied to her, he knew that she was, in some way or another, conscious that he was around. Scooting closer to her, he still hadn't said anything. Sensing this, it wasn't like Lavi to be silent. After all, he was the talkative type and he'd usually return to the Order with a cheery nature.

So, what did this mean, then?

Before Rue could even ask him what was wrong, she felt a sudden force entrapping her. From it, the sketchbook and pencil dropped to the ground without much of a sound, but that was the last thing she had on her mind. In surprise, she could feel strong arms around her waist. Right now, she found it hard to believe that she was suddenly enfolded in Lavi's arms, feeling her body being crushed to his. His head buried into her shoulder, Rue could feel his warm, shaky breath.

His hold on her was tight, almost suffocating, but it was very real to her.

"…Lavi…" The strawberry blonde was at a loss of words, endless thoughts racing through her mind, uncertainty and concern growing. She had no idea what to do, her arms limp at her sides.

He called her name, his voice muffled but trembling.

She swallowed a hard lump forming in her throat, speechless.

"Bad mission…?" The only thing she could get out from her throat when she forced herself to speak, her voice small and cracked.

Her only answer was a tight squeeze from her waist, a sigh escaping from the redhead.

Her expression soft and warm, she delicately wrapped her small arms around his neck, a hand stroking his messy, bright red hair. She felt that she couldn't say any words to make him feel better, hoping that she could comfort him with her actions instead. They stayed like that for a long time, the light rain surrounding them being the only sound.

After what felt like an eternity, Lavi's hold on Rue loosened considerably. She felt herself being able to breathe freely again, still held close to him.

"Hey, Rue?"

She looked up, vague blue-gray eyes meeting his face. His bright green eye was expressing something she couldn't put her finger on. His smile was weak, but she could see that that smile meant that the Lavi she knew was restored, even if only slightly. She felt a squeeze somewhere deep down when she saw that look.

A squeeze from her heart.

Going down again, he hid his face into her neck this time, his red hair tickling her chin. Unsure on how to react, for some unknown reason to her, the action caused her to blush. Nonetheless, she wouldn't dare speak about her flustered emotions, her arms still on his neck and her hands still caressing his hair as a way to comfort him.

"Thank you."

She heard those quiet words from him, feeling a hint of a smile there. And she felt a strange sense of relief when she heard it.

"You're welcome."

* * *

_I need… To have Lavi be his usual self again. _Later that night, Rue had thought this sternly as she sketched Lavi's face, the expression he wore earlier burning in her mind._ Seeing him like that… Made me feel something that I haven't felt before; however, I'm not sure what it was. But, it really felt painful._

_Ugh… _She growled, having stopped drawing as she was clearly frustrated with herself. _Isn't there anything else I can do to make him feel better?! Something… Anything… I really dislike feeling like this. _

An idea popped out of nowhere, hitting her square in the head. Contemplating on it, her eyes widened with realization.

_Yes… It has to be that!_

* * *

Forget the formalities. Forget courtesy. Forget everything that has to do with civility and normalcy.

This was an emergency.

"SIR KOMUI!"

And there the Exorcist-in-training went, barging the office door open, not even bothering to knock or enter normally as she usually would. However, what she didn't expect was that she found herself buried under a sea of papers the moment she entered the office.

"ACK!!!"

After swimming around in documents and the like, Rue had tiredly and hastily reached a solid object buried under the papers, which was presumably Komui's desk. Digging up paper by boring paper, she finally caught sight of said-desk. Not a surprise to find a sleeping Komui underneath it all, but she really had no time to put up with it.

Bending down to him, she woke him up in the only way Reever had taught her how.

"Sir Komui, Lenalee's going to get married."

Thus, the Supervisor woke up straightaway, a look of murderous intent in the eyes, shotgun in hand.

After the usual, overdramatic reaction of said-Supervisor fussing and crying over his younger sister's supposed betrothal, there had to be a reason why Rue was in his office.

"I need Lavi's personal files." Rue had started calmly, staring at Komui straight in the eyes.

"Huh?! Why?!" Taken aback by this, Komui found the request illogical.

"Trust me, Sir Komui. I need it. All I'm going to do is check on something because I need such vital information. Nothing big, I just need to know, so I can carry out with my plans."

"But, Rue! If I do that, they're going to kill—"

A gleam of silver, cold metal pressing against his Adam's apple.

"—Meeeee!" His last word screeched out in a way that would put any female to shame, the older male felt blood draining from his face.

With her ruthless, indifferent face, a dark aura of her own murderous intent was on the rise, a glint in her dark eyes. For a different reason this time, she, once again, had put him on dagger point.

"If you don't give me that file; then, I'm going to make your death quick and painless. Or better yet, I'm going to resort on blackmailing you."

"On what?!" Here, he looked very triumphant, grinning confidently. "As far as I know, Rue, assassin or not, I don't have any secrets that you know about and you can't interrogate me about that because I've nothing to hide!"

A dark smirk curved onto the fourteen-year-old's face. Seeing that, his grin dropped immediately into a look of despair. Komui grew very uneasy, not liking where this was heading.

"Oh?" Her voice feigned innocence, the smirk still there, knowing already that she was going to win this one. "Then, explain your hidden stash of your large photo collection of Lenalee, sir."

* * *

The following late morning, Lavi had woken up with a yawn and stretching his body. As he got out of bed to prepare himself for the day, his eye caught a note on his desk. Curious, he went over there and picked up the folded pieces of paper. Words unfolded on white and written in a familiar scrawl, he began reading.

_Lavi,_

_ I'm sure you'll be reading this by the time you get up (knowing you, you're probably sleeping, especially on how tired you looked when you came back from your mission last night). If you're wondering why I've written this, listen to me and listen well. _

_I want you to get dressed in civilian clothing and meet me at the Order's entrance at around noon or so. Bring your Exorcist cloak too. Don't ask questions, just do as I say. You'll find out soon enough when we meet up later since I have to get ready as well._

_A word of warning, though: Whatever you do, DO NOT, and I repeat DO NOT, let word of this get out to anyone and I mean anyone, ESPECIALLY Bookman. The only person who knows about this is Sir Komui and that's because I asked him for a favor. And no, don't you dare ask him on what's going on either because he's keeping his mouth shut about it. If he doesn't, he's going to beg for mercy by the time I'm done with him, trust me._

_If anyone asks where we are, I already told Sir Komui to tell them that we're on a mission. So, there's no need to worry about that._

_Anyway, just do what I asked you to do and do not let anyone else know about this. I don't want you to get in trouble with Bookman, okay? And I don't want to give him any more reason to be hostile towards me._

_-Rue_

_Well, this is new. _He wasn't sure what to think of it, surprise and confusion settling there. Placing the note in the drawer, which was also where he kept the exchange diary safe at all times, and closing it, he had went off to prepare himself to go out.

_I wonder what Rue's planning…_

* * *

With a light blue polo shirt with sleeves up to his forearms, a blue vest, a dark blue scarf around his neck, and denim jeans, Lavi was waiting at the Black Order's entrance, scanning his surroundings. He had worn his Exorcist coat over his clothes as his hair, which would normally be held up by his green headband, was down.

"Well, she did say to meet her here…" He mused quietly, looking up at the bright, cloudless sky in thought, a light breeze making his coat and his already messy hair sway. "I wonder what could be taking her so long."

"I'm sorry. Did I keep you waiting?"

He turned around at the sound of her voice, his green eye making contact with her blue-gray ones.

With her dark red cloak kept around her neck and flowing idly, Rue wore a sleeveless red polo and dark blue pants. Along with her shirt, her torso was also clothed with a white jacket that was also sleeveless, there was some black onto some parts the bright coat like the pockets and the buttons. It went up to her hips in length; in a way, it was like a reverse Exorcist cloak. To top it off, on her head settled a white cabby hat.

She didn't keep her arms bare, though; because of the jacket being sleeveless too, she was wearing white arm warmers.

"To think I'd see you in bright clothes… That's quite a change." Lavi commented with a humorous tone, flashing a grin.

"And to think I'd see you contrasting my colors. Really, you're wearing blue while I'm wearing red." Rue remarked quietly, her eyes hinting her unspoken amusement. "Come on, let's go."

They walked together, not exchanging words after that. Most of the trip was in silence as they headed off to the train station.

As they boarded inside, it was now that he chose to ask her on what was going on.

"So…"

"Hm?"

"Aren't you going to tell me what's happening? You were being rather vague in that note."

Rue looked to be deep in thought, choosing her seat near the window. Likewise, Lavi sat opposite of her, giving her a confused look.

"I'm sorry for not saying anything straight." She began reluctantly, looking a little nervous. "I just couldn't say anything since I was afraid someone would eavesdrop or do whatever to retrieve that information. You know how it is, the walls have ears."

He nodded in understanding, perhaps knowing now that whatever it was, this had to be something secret.

"I would like to say…" She licked her lips, pausing; then, she continued on. "That I had asked Sir Komui for a day off for the both of us. It's just that… You looked tired last night and I, too, have been stressing out on Exorcist duties. I thought that… We could use something of a break, even if it was for today."

He nodded again, surprised that she even asked the Supervisor for something like that, even if the reality was Exorcists very rarely get breaks.

"But… There's one other reason why I wanted to do this…"

He caught that, even though she was mumbling more to herself than speaking directly to him. Before he could ask what she meant by this, the conductor announced that the train was going to depart.

_This is it. _The female thought with resolve, her eyes fixed with determination as she looked out the window. _This is something… Only I can do…_

_This is my mission… My personal mission…_

_To make Lavi smile._

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Black Order H.Q…

As Komui was attending to numerous piles of paperwork, which had been piling up due to his laziness, he looked to be in his own thoughts. It looked like he was thinking of what happened the night before with Rue's confrontation.

* * *

_With surrender, knowing that he had lost the moment she revealed the dark secret that she somehow knew, he had given the stubborn girl Lavi's personal files._

_Rue opened the folder, blue-gray eyes scanning the information, skimming it for that there was only one thing she was looking for. Narrow eyes had suddenly turned round, her eyebrows lifting just slightly, an action that told him that she had found what she wanted to know. And that she did as she snapped the folder shut instantly, handing it back to him._

_He took it back and placed it in his filing cabinet, studying her carefully._

"_Have you found it? What you were looking for in the documents?" _

_Shifting her feet, she only nodded slightly, looking at him straight._

"_I found it… I finally found out when Lavi's birthday is…"_

_Komui's own eyes were round with surprise when hearing this. Seeing this, she continued on with her truth of her motive, wearing a serious face._

"_I don't want Lavi to be… Burdened with a lot of things, whether it's missions or his Bookman duties that's been keeping him busy." As she thought of Lavi's weak expression hours ago, she felt her heart being squeezed again. She faltered for a moment, letting a hint of pain slip out before it retreated so quickly back to neutrality. "And little does he know that I can see right through him. Even if he acts like everything is all right, I already know that his smile is only a mask most of the time to hide his problems."_

_The Supervisor only nodded, he had no words to say. He just wanted to understand this girl a little better and here she was, talking on why she had came here, and it's all because that it was for Lavi's sake._

"_I don't understand why, but seeing him like that… Made me feel really bad, as if I'm the one causing him to be that way by not being able to help him. So, I… I don't want him to be like that anymore. I don't want him to hold in his problems nor do I want him to be less than his usual self. I want him to stay the way he is… However, I also want his real self to come out too…"_

"_Then…" Komui finally spoke out, his smile kind and understanding as he made suggestion. "Then, why don't I give you two the day off tomorrow? It is his birthday tomorrow, after all. If anyone asks where you two are, I'll just tell them that you're on a mission."_

"_E-Eh?!" She was shocked, her jaw agape at this. "Are you serious?! But… Won't you get in trouble…?"_

"_Not if they don't find out." He grinned. "I promise I won't say anything. And since you're doing this for Lavi, I won't tell him of your plans either. I promise."_

"_Sir Komui… Thank you…"_

_And there he witnessed a side of Rue he hadn't seen before. She really looked thankful, a hint of something on her face that he had not seen._

_Was that… A faint smile?_

* * *

And there he continued on his paperwork, smiling a little at that memory. People had already asked for Lavi and Rue, but he had kept his word on making the excuse that he assigned them on a mission. All the while, he had some thoughts of his own about this whole thing.

_Rue… You're really changing. I can see that… I think everyone else notices this day by day, even if you yourself haven't yet. Pretty soon, you'll become a capable Exorcist. But moreover, and most importantly, you'll be able to become your own person…_

_Last night really told me that… You have a heart, somewhere deep down._

_So, I want you to do your best and make Lavi happy, okay? I believe that… You'll be the one who'll accomplish that with flying colors._

Although the Supervisor was very much aware of the Bookman code and the way things work in their system, that still didn't stop him from wishing Lavi to be truly happy. He really did need to have something meaningful in his life. And so, it came, in the form of Rue.

Outside was a beautiful summer day, not a hint of a cloud in the sky. Pretty soon, there'll be a smile or two on this day, despite the grim assessments of the Millennium Earl and his Akuma.

* * *

Hitomi: All righty, I'm done!

Looks like something is going on here… *grins* Seriously, with the way things are pacing like this, this chapter really makes it sound like they're eloping or something. *SHOT* But, as you can see now, Rue herself is also growing soft, whether she realizes it or not. The fact that she doesn't like to see Lavi sad or in pain just gives it away!

Who would've thought they'd snuck out of the Order like this and Komui's helping them? Looks like the Supervisor sees something between Lavi and Rue too… But, that's yet to be confirmed. Although, there's something I need to say on that. XD In future chapters, there'll be a tiny misunderstanding, but it won't involve Lavi… You'll see.

I was laughing, though, on how the first part of Rue's confrontation of Komui turned out while typing it. XD Especially when it came to Rue threatening blackmail with Komui's secret stash of Lenalee pictures. I guess it's considered payback for his inventions to mistake her as male and, thus, not being able to go into Lenalee's room or even near Lenalee, period, never mind the fact they're best friends.

Guys, I need suggestions on a place that Lavi and Rue can go to for relaxation! I tried to think of a place when I was typing up a chapter, but no such luck because nothing came to mind. It's not necessarily because on working on them to become a couple (trust me, they won't officially be one until waaaaay later), although this is still development on their part, but it's more like I want them to be somewhere with a fun atmosphere rather than a romantic one (as Rue doesn't know what love is while Lavi's not supposed to feel something like that… yet).

So yes, any suggestions for places that you have, you can leave in your review! It'll be much appreciated!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter~ Like I said, there'll be a Part 2 to this, so look forward to that!


	19. Looking Up

Hitomi: And I'm back! Thank you all for the feedback, favorites, and alerts as usual. _ I guess something's been wrong with my writing lately, huh, Kevin-niichan? Sorry about that… Though, I wonder what could've been wrong in my flow of writing. Probably certain words I used and the way my sentences are written as you pointed out.

DX Urgh, maybe I should think some more when I'm writing in an MSWord doc. Seriously. But, yeah… As always, there's some things I need to work on. I swear I'm tempted rewrite Unravel on certain parts all over again, especially with the way on how the story's been going lately. I was surprised about it too. But, I really did want to write about characters who weren't usually used in fanfics (like Marie and Daisya), especially when character development's involved. It'll be interesting on how I'll be able to use these two, especially when I'll get to the part when General Tiedoll's unit will look for General Tiedoll in Barcelona.

*sniff* Of course, you already know what'll happen at that point, but I'm not getting into that.

As for It'sDarkInHere… XD Oh, trust me, Rue has her ways of finding out. Knowing her, she probably did some digging around in the Science Dept…

^_~ You got your wish, 5FIVE5! New chapter is up now!

Thanks, Peter the Otaku! And really? Yay, I'm glad someone feels that they're starting to know Rue! It makes me happy to hear that since I'm trying to slowly develop Rue as both an Exorcist and a person… XD I know, it's a miracle both Kanda and Rue didn't fight in Chapter 17, but I know that despite of them bickering a lot, they do have their moments of not arguing. I choose that chapter to be one of them since it's Kanda's birthday and Rue doesn't want to fight with him because of that.

Oh, Kevin-niichan~ *grins* In this chapter, there's a little surprise in here that you'll get the reference of right away when you read it! Because it looks like certain characters are making cameos in here~

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

* * *

**Unravel**

**XIX**

**Looking Up**

[_Finally, you smiled!_

_It really is… Something to cherish…_

_I can see you're really caring and warm like this._

_So please, don't hide it behind that icy mask anymore._]

* * *

The train ride may have taken a lot of time, but it finally came into its destination.

Paris, France.

Getting out from the door, Lavi stretched his arms, taking in deep breaths as he felt exhilaration upon his arrival. It had been a while since being free, since being in this area of France too. His companion soon followed soon after, stretching her limbs as a soundless yawn escaped from her.

"Looks like someone had a good nap." The redhead pointed out, grinning as he watched the younger girl rub her sleepy eyes.

"Wasn't expecting to fall asleep, honestly, though I admit it felt refreshing." Rue mumbled groggily, another yawn following along, focused on fixing her hat. "I guess the train ride was relaxing since it was quiet… Well, minus you talking, of course."

At this, Lavi pouted mock hurt as they started to walk out of the train station together, going side by side.

"Sheesh, no need to be so blunt, you know! That really hurt!" His tone was of mock offense, exaggerating on being insulted.

"What?" She seemed to have an expressionless face; however, her eyes spoke out her mirth towards the older boy, even teasing him. "It's the truth and you know it."

Grinning, he patted her hat covered head.

"Looks like you're leaning how to make fun of me now."

"Oh? I've no idea what you're talking about."

"Smartass…"

"Hey!"

Here they were in Paris, the capital of France. It was also the capital of cultural diversity as there was hustling and bustling of people of different ages and ethnicities on the Parisian streets. There were a lot of extravagant houses and buildings too, showing off the elegance and wealth. The Eiffel Tower stood tall and proud in the center of it all, an important symbol of what France was all about.

"I haven't been here for quite a while now." Lavi stopped walking as he heard her breathless tone, seeing awed Rue setting her sights on the Eiffel Tower. "So, I've almost forgotten how… How…"

"Brilliant?"

"Yes…" She looked to be recalling a distant memory. "I've almost forgotten how brilliant Paris was."

_Huh? _She thought at the back of her mind, surprised. _Is this… A memory? But, I don't remember it… Why does it feel familiar, then?_

* * *

_"Rue, I'm home!" A woman in her late twenties or early thirties called for her in their somewhat luxurious home. Wavy, strawberry blonde hair flowed as she walked; light blue eyes were glowing with cheerful glee. She wore a spring dress, white with intricate blue and pink flower patterns on the hem. A bonnet was on her head, a straw hat with a long, dark blue ribbon tied around its center._

_ Her daughter wasn't left by herself, though. The servants were around to watch over her._

_ "Mommy!" Immediately, the sound of running came about, abruptly ending as the young woman felt sudden warmth on her leg. Looking down, she smiled warmly at the child that hugged her leg._

_ The girl herself was no older than three; round blue-gray eyes full of happiness and eagerness. Her own strawberry blonde hair, which was also long and wavy, was tied into twin pigtails as a purple beret settled on her head. Her spring dress was yellow, a green leaf pattern on it, as black shoes settled on white stocking clad feet._

_ "Where's Daddy?" She asked curiously as she got picked up in the older woman's arms._

_ "He's at work today, but he'll meet us later, he promised." Her mother answered gently as they went out of the house, going into their carriage._

_ "Where are we going, Mommy?"_

_ "We're going to Paris." She flashed a warm smile at Rue. "You want to see the Eiffel Tower again, right? And you like the food over there too, hm?"_

_ "Yes!" The child answered cheerfully, a big, innocent smile on her face. "I want to go there again!"_

* * *

"Mom…?" Rue whispered to herself, the remembrance evaporating quickly. Her blue-gray eyes looked cloudy in thought and nostalgia, disbelief racing through her mind. She shook her head, unsure of what to believe.

"Rue?" She turned at the concerned voice, meeting a worried Lavi in the face. "Are you okay?"

"I'm… Fine." She answered reluctantly, rubbing her head as she shook her head more, the hazy look in her eyes gone. "I think."

"Are you sure? You looked like you were spacing out since I've tried to call your attention three times."

"I-I'm sorry…" She bit her lip in apprehension, shaking her head once more. "I just recalled something that seemed to have been lost in my memory until recently."

As they walked around, Rue had told Lavi what she had recalled. This had gotten him taken aback too.

"Seriously? So, the reason why you were looking at the Eiffel Tower for so long…"

"Yes… Apparently, it invoked a small remembrance of my family life. I wonder why…"

"Well, from what your mom said in your memory, Paris seemed to be your favorite place to go to in France." He tried to formulate a proper conclusion as he gathered the facts, a thoughtful look on his face. "So, it's possible you've had memories that you don't seem to keep in mind of since you were too young at the time. Maybe you'll able to recall more things if you stay here long enough."

_Is that so? _The young female thought uncertainly, anxiety twisting her stomach in knots. _It's possible… Repressed memories, perhaps? Then, why… Did it turn out like that?_

She shook her head, snapping out of it.

_Don't forget your objective for today! You're supposed to make Lavi be relaxed, not stressed!_

As Lavi began to babble out theories, he stopped suddenly as he felt a yank on his Exorcist cloak. Looking back, he saw Rue tugging on the coat's hem, a dazed look on her face.

"Rue…?" He felt worried, which had her shaking her head.

"Don't worry about it… Lavi. Let's not think about it for now, okay?" She tried not to take any more notice of the situation, but Lavi still had his anxiety.

"But, this could be very important to you. After all, you know the life you've remembered before coming to the Order… That life…" He muttered that last sentence in uncertainty, his face serious as he knew the severity of the situation; which was of Rue remembering something before involving herself in a bloody life, the assassin life. "So, you should treasure your family memories, if you can recall anymore."

"I know, but we're supposed to take a break, right? I don't want us to be stressed over something like this for now." She sensed that she might've made a point for that the redhead had gone quiet. Blue-gray eyes looked around the numerous buildings as if trying to find something; then, she pointed in a general direction. "Hey, Lavi. Do you think that's a good place to eat in?"

At her pointed finger, he turned to that direction and eyed the café, feeling his stomach rumbling from hunger.

"Looks good, all right!" He declared with cheer, a small smile on his face. "Might as well grab a bite to eat, then, since it's going to be a long day for us!"

* * *

The café was a quaint, quiet place. The walls were white and red, probably having anyone think of candy, as the floor was full of colorful tiles. There were lights that shone from the ceiling, but there were also paper lanterns on each table.

"Hello, my name is Aimee and I'll be the one serving you today!" The eighteen-year-old waitress introduced herself to Lavi and Rue. Long, black blue hair was flowing freely down to her hips as flirtatious cobalt blue eyes batted eyelashes to the redhead. "How may I help you, handsome?"

"Striiiiike~ I think I'd rather have an order of you today." Immediately, the Bookman apprentice fell for her charms, making the companion sitting across from him smacking a hand to her forehead.

"Oy!" From the back of the café, an angry female voice yelled its way to the waitress in question. "What did I tell you, Aiko?! No flirting with the male customers! We had a deal!"

Aimee—Aiko—called out sweetly, "I have no idea what you're talking about~"

Stomping could be heard as the owner of the voice poked her head into the room, glaring at the waitress. Long, black hair was tied into a ponytail, the person wearing a maid's outfit too, as black eyes still bore holes in Aimee/Aiko. Although she was nineteen, one year older than the other female, her looks were considered baby faced.

"You know damn well what I'm talking about, old hag." The girl hissed disapprovingly, quite annoyed with the other's behavior. Ignoring momentarily on the fact that they had customers, she started chastising. "If it weren't for me, we would be back in Edo and you wouldn't even be alive right now. So, I suggest you do your job _properly_, seriously."

"Because I owe you, I know. No need to remind me, small fry." She rolled her eyes, ignoring the scowl the older female gave her when hearing that pet name; then, waved her away with a smile. "Don't worry, Hitomi, I know my job."

"Well, I hope you do or you'll find yourself back in Edo, with all of the demons roaming around." With that, Hitomi had departed back to the cooking area, mumbling curses under her breath.

"Awww, I know you wouldn't do that to me, even though I'm your rival! I love you, Hitomi~"

"I don't need to hear that from you, you damn flirt! Get back to work now or I'll dock your pay by half!"

"Like brother, like sister…" Aimee/Aiko mumbled as she shook her head at a particular memory, giggling about it as she turned back to the confused duo. "All right, so what'll your orders be?"

After making their orders, the waitress went to give orders to the chefs, winking at Lavi as she hurried her way to the back of the restaurant.

"What a woman…" Rue grumbled lightly, rubbing her temples as a small headache came about from the earlier spectacle. "Honestly, she shouldn't be trying to woo men on her job. Has she no shame?"

"Well, I, on the other hand, find it sexy that she's bold and confident to do something like that in the line of work." Lavi disagreed honestly, looking smitten from the memory of Aimee/Aiko. "Haven't found a cute girl like that in quite some time, actually… Her daring side is enticing."

The crossdressing female said nothing to that, sipping her water in silence. However, like that time in Germany when she found that German brunette sweet-talking to Lavi, the same sentiment from before was coming back to her with a vengeance because of Aimee/Aiko. It was gnawing at her inside relentlessly now and she was doing all she could not to express it. But, she couldn't help herself but feel this way.

What was it?

_This is… The second time already, isn't it? _A hand rubbed her temples, the sentiment—along with a hint of annoyance—building up as her headache grew worse. _Normally, I'm used to Lavi's behavior because he is the way he is. However, whenever females are the ones calling the shots and he falls under their charms… This feeling pops up. _

_ Great, my headache's growing because of this… What the Hell am I feeling agitated for?_

Seeing she had gone quiet, the redhead inquired her right on the spot.

"What's wrong?"

The strawberry blonde only shook her head in response, refusing to say anything.

As he was going to ask her yet again, trying to get the answer out of her, Aimee/Aiko came back with their food.

"Here you go!" She smiled as she got the food from the serving plate, setting the plates down in front of them. Lavi's dish was wine poached salmon with black truffles and rice along with chicken sausage gumbo on the side. Rue's dish was roasted lemon rosemary chicken with rice, cinnamon orange crepes, and chocolate mousse. Both had their water as drinks.

The food was delicious as they relished their meals, the tense atmosphere gone. After paying and thanking both Hitomi and Aimee/Aiko for their service, they went out.

* * *

Exploring around some more, they had gone to the Louvre Museum. Art of all kinds greeted their eyes the moment they had stepped inside. Lavi enjoyed detail, so he was taking his time exploring around. For Rue, she used art as some sort of stress relief, aside from training, so she was marveled by all of the colors and details of the artwork. She looked fascinated with her surroundings, finding it interesting.

Then, they both found themselves in front of the Mona Lisa.

"Wow…" Rue murmured with admiration, blue-gray eyes taking in every element of the painting. "What a sight to see."

"Many people do wonder how Da Vinci got her to smile like that too." Lavi noted, also enthralled with the undeniable beauty of the artwork. "Hey… I also see hidden faces here too, if you look closely."

Her eyes flickered to brief confusion at his statement; then, shifting her gaze to the image again, she found that he was right about that. Hidden in the artwork were faces; be it human, animal, or otherwise. So, the two tried to count off how many faces were blended into the famous painting.

"Ten faces in total." The redhead counted with diligence, a satisfied grin on his face. "Who would've thought Da Vinci would do something like that too?"

"Well, they considered Da Vinci as a genius." The strawberry blonde remarked with a nod. "After all, he wasn't just famous for his art… He had his own share of astuteness in other intellectual areas…"

They walked around the large building, taking in everything they possibly could. Rue stopped at one piece of artwork in particular, Lavi halting as well when seeing that.

"Hm?" Curious, he went back to his female companion. "What's up?"

The painting was detailed, the background sepia. In the image was a young man that sat on a purple chair, aged in his late twenties or early thirties. An unruly shock of jet black hair fell across his forehead, giving him a carefree look, as his blue-gray eyes sparkled with good humor. His smile was wide and genuine, looking unspeakably happy. In his arms and on his lap was a three-year-old girl, who wore a simple white dress, her young face with a big smile as if laughing. Wavy, strawberry blonde hair cascaded down to the small of her back, the same blue-gray eyes filled with joy. Dots of brown—resembling crumbs—were on her cheeks as a plate of cookies was on her lap.

"Ah!" A small cry escaping from her, the petite girl found the signature at the bottom right corner. It was fine lettering, simple and intricate, but no doubt something that the female had seen before. "This handwriting… It's…"

She trailed off, unsure of what to say anymore, her storm colored eyes misty. Checking warily, the older male saw the name; one, green eye wide with overwhelming shock as he read it.

"_Cecilia Thomas-Marucut_. Rue…"

"Mother… Painted this…" She whispered to herself, her eyes clouded with familiar and unfamiliar sentiments. "So, the young man who's in this painting… Father…"

* * *

_ They were in the studio, which was at the lower floor of the house. From that time, the room was filled with laughter and happiness._

_"Rue, hold still!" Cecilia ordered as sternly as she could, looking over her halfway done canvas to address the command to one of her art subjects. However, she couldn't say this with a serious face, breaking into a smile as she saw her daughter squirming and wanting to break loose from her father's embrace._

_"I think she wants to go play outside soon, Cecilia." The young man chuckled, trying to keep his daughter still._

_"I know that she wants to, but I do have a deadline with this painting." The young woman reasoned with a sigh, looking at her husband with a dejected expression. "Rue, sweetie, please be still for a couple of more minutes."_

_"But, Mommy!" Three-year-old Rue protested impatiently, pouting now. "I want to go play! If I don't, it'll be dark out by the time you're done!"_

_"Zack, do something…" Cecilia pleaded, looking really pressured on work._

_Zack Marucut nodded to ease his spouse's troubles as he held the girl up in his strong arms, a wide smile on his face._

_"Kiddo, you have to be patient with Mommy. She needs to do her job painting."_

_"Daddy…" She looked at him with round blue-gray eyes—so much like his own—as if trying to give him the puppy dog eyes._

_With a sigh and smile, he settled the young female into his lap, petting her head._

_"You can always play outside tomorrow, you know. But, right now, please try to understand."_

_For a moment, the young Rue had gone silent, looking like she was thinking hard. Rubbing her now tear filled eyes, trying her best not to act like a bad girl, she had complied with her parents' wishes. Occasionally, though, she was sniffling, trying not to cry._

_Hearing that and feeling bad, the young man looked around the room, trying to find a way to make the child feel better. On a nearby table, there was a plate of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies._

_"Lia, hand over the plate of cookies there." Zack told Cecilia, who looked momentarily bewildered. Then, seeing what he was talking about, she got up and handed him the plate of sweets. Without saying anything, he let the platter fall into Rue's lap._

_Smelling the scent of freshly baked sweets, the girl immediately stopped crying, her eyes bright again the moment she had her sights on the baked goods. Without a second thought, she started munching on them, savoring the warm softness of the dough and the milk chocolate taste._

_"Hey, Zack! Those were supposed to be for Rue later after dinner!" The older woman objected, giving him a slight glare as she sat back down in front of her easel propped artwork. "Now, she won't be able to eat anymore because her appetite's spoiled!"_

_"Well, at least it stopped her from crying, though." Her husband responded with a warm smile, petting his daughter's head as she happily chewed on her food. _

_"Mommy's cookies are really delicious!" Rue commented contentedly, indulging herself in the treat. "One day, I hope I can make cookies as good as hers!"_

_"Rue, if you keep eating sweets, you're going to get fat…" Zack joked with a snicker, earning himself a kick to one of his knees. "Ow."_

_"I don't care if I do! I love Mommy's cooking, no matter what Daddy says." The daughter replied with an angry huff, eating away at the cookies. "Of course, my love for Mommy comes first before her cooking, though!"_

_Cecilia stopped painting for an instant the moment she heard that remark. Peeking out from the white canvas, for a few moments, she had watched her daughter happily eat something that was made by her. Her husband was laughing at his daughter's statement, ruffling her hair affectionately, which emitted a squeal from her._

_Cecilia couldn't help but smile tenderly at the sight._

* * *

The duo walked out of the museum in silence, neither exchanging words to one another as they paced around Paris. That was, until Rue broke it when she talked about the memory of both of her parents.

"Another memory recalled…" She said with a wistful air, looking up at the cloudless sky. "It's odd… Suddenly remembering something like that now. Makes me wonder why I didn't retain the information sooner…"

"I guess it's because… Well…" Lavi looked to be thoughtful about this, a serious look on his face.

"Lavi?"

"Well… You've told me—and Lenalee—that you weren't allowed to have emotion during assassination duty, right? So…" He tried to draw a conclusion, thinking as he recalled memories of Rue being in the Black Order. "I guess it's because of your adjustment in the Black Order. You're slowly getting used to your life there, and because of that, you're starting to remember little by little on what emotions meant to you before. Therefore… I think learning sentiments again would connect strongly to your family life because that was before you became an assassin."

"It just…" She frowned in thought, looking at the older boy doubtfully. "It just… Feels foreign to me, you know? It's because I had Riley there for me for as long as I can remember… And there were family possessions left behind in my care, personal possessions that were once my parents'… That I truly didn't understand."

He said nothing, but he was able to connect to her like this.

"Being in General Tiedoll's unit… Being in the Black Order… Truly taught me what family was like." This statement made him gaze at her over his shoulder, faint surprise on his features. She looked up at him with an expression that told him that she was being truthful. "Staying in the Black Order… Really taught me about how family should be, blood related or not. Of course, though…"

Here, she looked nostalgic again, but she looked to be showing a positive light in her eyes.

"Though, I can never forget Riley. He was always there as a brother and being the first person—well, since my parents—who really looked out for me. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be alive now, so I'm forever grateful to him. Even if the Black Order is like a family to me now, I still consider Riley as my brother."

She looked down, not saying anything. But, she spoke again.

"Lavi?"

"Yeah, Rue?"

"I'm sorry…"

This made Lavi stop in his tracks, fully facing a guilty-looking Rue, who avoided his gaze. How shocked he was to hear an apology from her when she didn't do anything wrong.

"Why are you sorry? There's nothing to be sorry about."

"Because… We're supposed to relax and stuff, right? But, it just feels like I'm making everything all serious and what not, what with being like this."

He only made a reply to such a reason by ruffling her short hair.

"Actually… It's nice to hear about it." He admitted truthfully, hesitantly. "To hear about your life as an assassin made me think that nobody should go through something like that. So, when I hear about what you recall of your parents, even if it is bits and pieces… It makes me smile."

She blinked, unsure if she heard right.

"It… It does?"

To answer her question, he flashed a smile at her. It wasn't that fake smile she usually knew; this time, it was a soft, gentle smile that lightened up his face. At this, she was taken aback to see him like that. But, for some reason, it felt like her heart was growing warm.

"It does… Because from what you told me of your parents, your 'brother,' and the way you see people in the Black Order… Whether you realize it or not, you're truly loved by all of them."

His grin widened in slight amusement.

"Of course, we both know what Kanda's like." He pointed out, shaking his head, which the younger female agreed with a slight, quiet nod.

_Loved…? _The word sounded strange to her, being unable to comprehend it. _Love… It's another emotion, right?_

She clenched the heart locket around her neck in her hand, something that Riley gave to her years ago. Up to now, it was still empty, void of anything. However, Riley's voice echoed in her mind from the time when she was eight, after they fled from Spain…

_"This is my first Christmas present to you, Rue. I'm giving you this because I see you as a younger sister and I consider this kind of thing important. This is a locket. When I open it, you can see that it's unfilled, right? You can put any picture in there to your liking, though… It's most memorable when a locket contains the picture of someone most important to you. Someone who you'll love with all of your heart…"_

_ Love… I don't know it either… What is it?_

Rue snapped out of it as she heard Lavi calling her from a distance. He had a big grin on his face, waving her over to his location. As she ran over there, her eyes took in the wonderful view that was the Notre Dame Cathedral.

* * *

"Wow…"

Both were in wonderment the moment they stepped inside the church, the trip was all the more better since there weren't people around. The beautiful, spacious architecture would make anyone fall for it because it was so elaborated. Numerous pews were rowed in an organized manner as a church usually is. Lights of all colors entered the room because of the beautiful stained glass windows inside.

A lot of other memories passed through Rue's mind while she rummaged around the church, bringing her to a quiet state. And whenever the recollections would end, she'd tell Lavi about it.

"You know, if you think about it…" She began calmly, letting her thoughts develop more as she sat down in one of the pews near the altar. "From what I can tell when remembering my life, I was… Different, compared to now."

Grinning with his hands behind his head, he sat down next to her as he retorted with a chuckle, "It sounded like you were spoiled that time too. I don't mean of you being a brat since it didn't really sound like it, but you know… Your parents cared for you very much."

Taking the pocket watch out, she opened it and gazed in it thoughtfully, looking at the picture of her parents there.

"Yeah… I guess so."

"But, it doesn't make sense, though. You had a normal life, but you suddenly became an assassin. I wonder what happened that time."

"Yes, sometimes, I wonder myself. Up to now, I don't know what occurred. Well, with the way I've started recalling things the whole time we've been here in Paris, I suppose I'll find out sooner or later."

The conversation disappeared in their silence, the two finding a sense of peace in the stillness of their surroundings. They enjoyed their company together, occasionally making small talk about a lot of things.

They stayed there for a while, being comfortable. By around early evening, they would go out of the church… But, not in the way you expected them to.

Rue suddenly felt a jolt in her body, wide awake and alert. After finding herself dozing off for the fourth time because of the peaceful quiet, she got up from the long chair and looked around. Apparently, Lavi had gone off to who knows where.

"Great… Now, I've to go look for him." Rue muttered tersely, trying to be attentive. So, she had gone searching for him.

That was, until someone came up behind her and immediately placed their hands on her shoulders.

"BOO!!!"

This had produced a loud yelp from the strawberry blonde. Since she didn't have any daggers with her this time, she had no choice but to fight with her bare hands. However, in mid punch, her blue-gray eyes met with a gleeful green.

"What the?!" She immediately backed away, arms up in a stance as her hands balled up into fists. In front of her was a smirking Lavi.

"Wow, I knew you were easily startled, but that got you good." He said with humor, a cheeky grin on his face as he was trying not to laugh.

"You…! LAVI!"

Sensing something, Lavi turned to the entrance and fled the scene and Rue chased after him.

* * *

"LAVI!!! THAT WAS NOT FUNNY!!!" Rue yelled angrily from behind as she hunted him down as fast as her legs could carry her.

"But, it was so worth it!!!"

Lavi was laughing his head off, a big smile on his face as he tried to do all of his best to escape from the girl he provoked. A lot of people were staring at the spectacle, but neither cared at this moment.

By the time they got to the Eiffel Tower, the girl had used a boost of energy as she managed to catch up to his running speed, tackling him to the ground with full force.

"ACK!!!"

"GOT YOU!!!"

They fell to the ground.

Sitting up, the redhead was laughing all the while the strawberry blonde in his lap was punching him repeatedly in the chest. When she was finally done with that, she gave him quite the glower that he wasn't accustomed to seeing. She glared at him menacingly, though it would've been all the more intimidating if not for the small pout on her face. He laughed harder at this, finding it hilarious.

"I told you, it wasn't funny when you did that!" Rue growled angrily, her arms folded across her chest. "Lavi, you idiot!"

"But, I told you!" Lavi said in between his laughs, his arms clutching his now aching sides. "It was so worth doing that! I don't care if I get hurt for it, just as long as I was able to do that!"

She glowered at him more, sulking. After his laughs died down, he started feeling a little bad about it.

"Awww, come on, Rue! I know I was wrong, so I'm saying s—"

As he was about to apologize, he noticed that her body was shaking, an unknown expression on her face.

"Rue, are you… Wait a minute, are you about to cry?!" He panicked at such a possibility, feeling the guilt getting the better of him. "Rue, I'm so sorry; really, really s— "

He had been cut off by laughter. His eye wide, he looked at the girl in front of him as she started to laugh for the second time in a long time. She couldn't hold it back anymore, finding the whole thing very funny that she couldn't stay serious any longer.

"I can't take it anymore!!!" She cried out as she continued laughing hard. "I didn't want to admit it, but you really scared me good back there!"

He was stunned on the fact that Rue was laughing about the incident. But, a genuine smile slowly spread across his face as he laughed along with her.

People were staring with bafflement, wondering if the two lost their sanity. Others cooed at the sidelines, seeing how cute it was to see them like that. They didn't care, lost in their own world, experiencing joy.

After that, Lavi purchased chocolate pistachio ice cream to make it up to Rue in spite of her disapproval. Sitting near the Eiffel Tower, the girl licked at the sweet, frozen treat, savoring it as the boy watched with a warm smile.

"Ah, that's right!" She abruptly stood up, finishing her ice cream cone. "Wait here! I'll be right back!"

Before he could ask her what happened, she immediately dashed away from their location. However, she did yell out one thing.

"And whatever you do, keep your eyes CLOSED! I'll tell you when to open them!"

Wondering what that was all about, he did as he was told. After what felt like a long time, he heard clomping footsteps came hurrying back and a presence that settled down next to him on the bench. He could've sworn he felt something else, but he'll find out sooner or later.

"Lavi?"

"Mmm?"

"You can open your eyes now."

His left eye open slowly as it first turned down on his lap. What placed itself there was a small paper plate, and on it, a slice of cake with pink, strawberry frosting. A plastic fork was on the side, obviously to be used for eating. A single, green candle was put in the middle of the slice and it was lit up, the ember burning brightly.

Lavi looked up to meet Rue's face, seeing her holding another box in her arms.

"Happy birthday, Lavi." She greeted him quietly, a hint of a smile on her face.

He blinked, feeling that he was imagining things. Rubbing his eye, he saw that he wasn't dreaming at all.

She was smiling, really smiling, at him and greeting him happy birthday.

"Rue…" He was at a loss for words. But then, he smiled warmly, lifting the plate up to his eye level. He blew the candle out, feeling a sentiment in his heart that he could no longer deny, for once forgetting about his Bookman duties.

Happiness.

As Lavi ate his cake with enjoyment, when he was finished, Rue handed him the box she had been holding. It was wrapped in red and green, tied by a blue ribbon. Unwrapping the present, what greeted him made him smile again.

It was a white bunny plush that looked pudgy. Round, brown eyes looked at him with a sense of adoration, long whiskers on its face. The nose was pink and soft and the fur was fluffy. Of course, who could forget that cotton tail?

"I didn't know what to get you…" Rue mumbled bashfully, not looking at him straight in the eyes. "I know you like reading and history, so I thought I'd get you a book. Though, I wouldn't know what kind of book you wanted since they have many genres. But then, when I thought of the stuffed fox you gave me last Christmas… I thought I'd be able to give something back."

She still refused to look at him. Thankful for the dark, though he'd probably sensed it, her cheeks were stained with bright red blush.

"But… Normally, males don't like stuffed animals, so I'm not sure if you like it…"

She felt her heart being squeezed. Deciding to look his way, he saw that his left hand was holding her right hand, squeezing it tenderly. Looking up timidly, she met Lavi's face, which greeted her with a warm, loving smile.

"Thank you… Rue…" He said gently, his gaze never leaving hers. "This… This really means a lot to me."

She felt herself feeling uplifted when seeing that because this was the real Lavi she wanted to see for a long time.

Mission accomplished.

* * *

By about 9 or 10 PM, they got back to the Black Order. They were about to part to their rooms, but Rue felt a strong urge to do something.

"Lavi? Wait…"

"Hm?" He looked back at her, confused and concerned.

Going up to him, she fidgeted as she approached closer to him. By the time she was within close proximity, she felt herself weaken, unsure if she was able to go through with her plan.

Seeing her looking nervous, Lavi bent down to check her face to see if she was all right. Taking the opportunity, Rue gave him a swift peck on the cheek. His green eye widened at this, unsure on how to react.

"G-Good night, Lavi…" The younger female mumbled shyly, turning about face and hurried back to her room.

He stood there, stunned, unsure of what happened as his face was as red as his hair. But, as the reality finally hit him, his face lit into such a wide smile that he couldn't stop grinning like an idiot. Chuckling, he went back to his room to depart for the night, the bunny plush snug into his arms.

Meanwhile, Rue was already trying to drift to sleep, crushing the fox plush close to her body. Her face was hot with a nice shade of red on it, her heart racing crazily from what she had done earlier.

_I can't believe I did that… _She thought in disbelief, closing her eyes as she snuggled into her pillows. _I really can't believe I did that. I don't even know if I can face Lavi tomorrow!_

_But… _She felt something from the bottom of her heart. Though she didn't know what it was, she felt good from it as she fell into a serene sleep. _But I don't regret it, not at all._

The world seemed bright on this particular day, something unforgettable.

Of course, we can always find a light in the darkness, even if it's only a little.

* * *

Hitomi: Finally done~ *is happy*

XD Not exactly Lovers in Paris, but I did say I wanted something fun to write about in this chapter. ^_~ Of course, since Paris tends to be a spot for couples, I thought a little romance development would be good to use. Really, I thought I wouldn't be able to use the Eiffel Tower because of when it was built, but I was so glad I was able to use it!

And Kevin-niichan, thank you for the idea. Also, I was happy to use the Louvre as you suggested since the Louvre Museum existed since the 12th century. For those who are wondering if there were really faces in the Mona Lisa, there are. I saw them in an old issue of National Geographic (forgot what month and year the magazine was, though) and the issue was testing us on how many faces we could find blended in the painting. It was a total of ten.

Looks like we saw a little bit of Rue's past before the assassin training, eh? Think what you will on that one. I have mentioned a few times Rue's mother was an artist, so I used the opportunity of the Louvre Museum to display her talents. As for the father… *grins a bit* Well, I've yet to reveal on what he does for a living.

*grins* And the waitresses, Hitomi and Aiko/Aimee… Well, only Kevin (and a few other people who know them) gets the reference, but those two were—and still are—my characters from my original project and, as you can see, they still have that rival relationship with each other as they did, originally. They're older in here than they are in the original. There are reasons why Aiko's name is Aimee. A) Aiko is only half-Japanese, she does have French blood in my original project as she does here in Unravel and B) Aiko means "love child" in Japanese and Aimee means "loved" in French. I do have a French middle name for her in mind of the project, but I'm not sure what to use.

XD And who would've thought Rue would get jealous again because of Aiko/Aimee? Well, in the original project, Aiko/Aimee is a big flirt, so I've decided to retain her personality here. XD Of course, Hitomi's not happy about this as usual, so she has to keep Aiko/Aimee in line. _ How they escaped from Edo, though, makes me wonder…

Finally! Lavi smiled! Of course, we all know Lavi knows emotions, he's just forbidden to feel them. So, it's no surprise he's able to feel happiness easily. Rue, however, doesn't know what she feels, but she's aware that it's a positive feeling. And Rue laughing, for the second time? That's an improvement! Just one step close to a smile…

*amused* And to think Rue would do such a bold move in the end… Ahaha, nice one!

Anyway, I'm satisfied that I'm done writing this chapter. Now, to Chapter 20, which is the last chapter before the big timeskip (AKA when Allen enters the Black Order)…

I hope you enjoyed reading this!


	20. See You Later

Hitomi: All righty, this is it! The last chapter before the big timeskip in Unravel! Something I've been looking forward to the moment I've started writing this fanfic…

Although I'm not sure what to write in this… I'll see how the chapter's story will flow.

Thank you all for reading the work, putting it on favorites and/or alerts, giving me advice/constructive criticism to consider on, and for liking it. You guys are the big reason why I've been motivated to keep on going with this. Even though I still don't appreciate Rue being called a Mary Sue, especially since I thought long and hard when creating her, I'm still working hard to have people get to know her like this. I'm still trying to develop her as both an Exorcist and as a person as she slowly starts to know what it's like to be human, having known nothing but blood and war.

Now then, commencing!

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

* * *

**Unravel**

**XX**

**See You Later**

[_I've worked my way to become stronger since I came here._

_You know it's true because you've been watching me all of this time._

_But, I know you can't always be there._

_It feels like you'll be away for a while now._

_This isn't goodbye, right?_

_Promise me…_]

* * *

"All right, Rue!" Johnny called the fourteen-year-old over in the Science Dept. area, a huge smile on his face. "It's done!"

"Eh?" She turned around, confused a moment; then, she nodded, remembering that she had been called here for a reason. "Ah… Right… I got called here by you and Reever, right, Johnny? For what?"

"For this!" Reever held up a familiar black and white jacket, his own smile brightening up his face.

She took the jacket from his hands, examining it in silent wonder.

"Try it on!" Johnny ushered her enthusiastically, wanting to see her reaction. "I made sure that it would fit on you since that was why I asked for your measurements a few days ago. Exorcist cloaks can be customized as how we see fit; like, we want to compliment the looks and personalities of the Exorcists, so the Science Dept. and I were trying to think of various designs for your Exorcist cloak… I think you'll be pleased with what we came up with."

Rue nodded at this, understanding, as she slipped on the cloak.

The cloak was like a work of art in itself, the length about mid thigh or a bit below and she was glad for this since it perfectly concealed her shorts to the very hem, which was where her pouch and daggers were equipped. It was short compared to her tattered red cloak, which was below the knee. There was white at the shoulder pads, the sleeve cuffs, and white at the edges where gray buttons and holes for them on the other side were placed. There were two streaks of white with black in the middle on two different parts of the jacket: one was formed into a shape of a straight angle at the upper body; between the inside of the angle and the left shoulder pad was where the Rose Crest was pinned, a gray button in the black area of the angle's arch, the button being a few inches away from the second button hole. The other part was also at the left side, a few inches below the last button hole, another gray button put in the black area; it was shaped as a strap, which meant it was supposed to be a belt for the coat. On both sides of the jacket, at the bottom, were metal edges like the ones you see when a zipper's unzipped.

Including at the belt area, the jacket buttons were from her neckline to her waist. She buttoned up her coat, taking a slow spin in it as if showing off all of the areas of the coat.

"Well…?" She asked reluctantly, feeling self-conscious, though she was trying hard not to show it. "How does it look on me? Is it… Okay?"

Both scientists were ecstatic.

"It looks really good on you, Rue. It suits you well."

"Really, it does! And with that red cloak of yours, it makes you look like a badass. With you having carried daggers too, we might as well dub you the 'Assassin Exorcist!'"

"Really? Then, I believe you. Heh, Assassin Exorcist, huh?" Little did the unaware duo knew was that the nickname wasn't far from the truth. "Thank you, Reever, Johnny. I should also thank you for even making this for me. It must've taken you a couple of hours, give or take."

"Just as long as you're all protected by Akuma by these jackets, and your Innocence, of course, I have no problem making these." Johnny replied reassuringly, a small smile on his face. "We've been through our hectic periods with Komui being the Supervisor and all, so making these coats are nothing compared to endless piles of paperwork and research."

"I see… That is a good point as Sir Komui can be quite the lunatic when it comes to work, inventions, and lack of coffee… All of that and when it comes to Lenalee."

"True, he can be pretty crazy sometimes." Reever nodded in agreement, recalling all of the times when said-Supervisor caused a lot chaos in the Black Order, which made him shudder at the memories. "All right, Rue. We got to get back to work! We don't want either Komui to think that we're slacking off!"

"All right, I understand." She nodded a little, going on her way out. "Don't push yourselves, okay?"

"We won't." The Squad Leader said with a nod, Johnny already scurrying back to his workload. "And… Rue?"

"Hm?" She stopped in mid step, looking over her shoulder to look at the older male. She was surprised to find him smiling at her.

"Congratulations." He praised her, going over there to pat her head, proud of her achievement. "You're officially an Exorcist now."

_That's right, I…_

With a bright look in her eyes, she looked to be smiling back slightly, which made it the scientist's turn to be astonished.

"Thank you, Reever."

She casually waved him goodbye, her slow pace making its way out of the Science Dept.

_I'm officially an Exorcist now._

* * *

_ It's been a year now since I've arrived in the Black Order. And during my adjustment period here, I've had learned and experienced a lot. Slowly, I feel myself… Going forward…_

Rue deftly dodged Mugen's blow, the chilly autumn air barely felt by the two as they went head on with their skirmish, their bodies warm from constant movement. A small "tsk" escaping from his lips, Kanda was still being merciless on his training, his sword slashes aiming with deadly accuracy.

On the sidelines, General Tiedoll, Daisya, and Marie were observing the fight with interest, a few feet away from them.

"Looks like she's getting the hang of it, General, since I've noticed she's getting better recently." Daisya noted casually, watching Rue's Innocence glow a light green; then, wind gusts began forming in her hands as she manipulated them into wind blades that struck both of Kanda's sides. While he may have been able to dodge one, he took the other hit, a grunt of pain barely heard as dark red seeped from his right side. "She's been very motivated now that she's finally gotten her Exorcist cloak because she sees that as a rite of passage on being an Exorcist."

"Yes, I know. From what I can observe in their recent training sessions, Rue's pushing herself to do better." The older man replied cheerfully, making quick sketches of the battle before them. He stopped momentarily to wince slightly as Mugen engraved into her shoulder, red liquid contrasting with the black blade. "Of course, I'm trying not to say she wasn't like this in the beginning, she was. But, she's still continuing to grow up, pushing herself every day. And the more she learns about emotions, the more powers unlock from her Innocence."

"I agree." Marie made his input, adjusting Noel Organon on his head. "Whenever Rue feels some sort of emotion, with my hearing, I can hear power being summoned. It composes of different sounds too since the elements are different from one another. As far as we know how many elements she's unlocked…"

"Fire, Energy, Earth, and Wind… Right?" Daisya counted with his fingers as he listed the abilities that showed themselves to everyone so far, watching as Kanda was using the Second Illusion and Rue using wind and earth to protect herself. "About four powers have been revealed so far. Knowing how she's learning how to feel and letting loose her Innocence's power that way, there's a chance that there'll be more."

Earth pillars were summoned as they were used as a quick cover, Mugen and its sheath cutting through them like a knife would to soft cheese. As Rue's arms made an x formation in front of her face to lessen Mugen's blows on her flesh, splashes of red seen, Deathtrap and Lifeline were glowing vibrantly. Lifeline was covered by the same, light green swirl of air as her right hand was reaching the sky, palm flat open as the breeze of November air grew bit stronger. Using this as an advantage, Deathtrap radiated a scarlet red—Lifeline now doing the same thing—as embers licked up the Innocence.

She lunged at Kanda, knowing she was going to get hurt in the process of it, the fire surrounding her fists now blazing due to the wind as she unrelentingly threw unhesitating, ruthless punches. While she knew she left herself wide open for assault, she wouldn't let that stop her.

Her rival had the advantage of leaving as much lethal blows, he did so without holding back while using both First and Second Illusions. His sword had given several injuries; the blade carving into her arms, clipping both shoulders, slicing her chest. But, the thing was the female had the advantage too as singes left a black trail on his pale flesh; on his arms and hands, one streak of fire marking its territory on his left cheek as he took the hit.

"Hey, General…" The older man turned Daisya, noticing he had a serious look on his face. "With her Innocence responding to how she feels… Don't you think it's a possibility that Rue could be the Heart?"

The normally jolly artist frowned at such words, perhaps aware of this. He turned back to watch his other two pupils going all out, drawing all the while and not saying anything. After a long silence, an answer was heard.

"Anyone can be the Heart, Daisya, and you know that fact as well as I—and the other people in the Black Order—do. We cannot afford to take risks on having Exorcist lives lost in the war as one of them could be the Heart. Obviously, when the Heart is found and destroyed, the Millennium Earl will annihilate the world. However…" He sighed deeply, pained sadness etching his aging face. "It's very possible Rue could be."

A surge of nausea broke in the Charity Bell's wielder when he heard this, but he quelled the sensation with his willpower, his facial expression darkening. The blind Exorcist beside him said nothing, but he had a solemn look as he regarded the reality of such odds.

Of course there was no denying it.

But, it was better to be safe than sorry.

The other two Exorcists were at each other constantly, neck and neck, fighting tooth and nail to claw their way up to the top. Now, the duel became a total standstill for the past couple of seconds, minutes. Bodies panted and wheezed for large quantities of oxygen, perspiration matting their hair and sticky on their skin. Burns, cuts, and bruises colored their flesh in black, blue, and red; they wore these colors with hardened resolve and honor, both of them bearing wounds that told others that they had been through Hell and back to be as strong as they are now.

A white leathered hand grabbed the kimono neckline of the male in a rigid grip, the opposite black fist merely an inch away from punching its target – a right eye. A black blade was pressed hard against the female's neck, quite close to drawing out blood. The two rivals glared each other down; a haggard, resolute clash of sparks from their glowers as if silently challenging one or the other to surrender. There was no point of trying to guess on who had won as nobody could tell.

This was never going to be settled.

They both knew this; pretty much aware of it, actually.

But, both of them wouldn't budge for that it would be a sure sign of defeat.

And they didn't like that at all, not when their pride was on the line. And damn it all if one of them submitted to losing.

"Oy, Kanda." Daisya broke the quiet mood, serious eyes but a slight grin. "You've had enough victories, victories that would last a lifetime. And ever since Rue came here, you've been beating her up harshly session after session, being unforgiving with your training, and Rue took all of your punishment without complaint. You're both rivals as we all know in the Order. So, let me tell you something."

He cupped his hands around his mouth, amplifying his message to a loud shout, knowing fully well that he was going to get killed on what he would say next.

"Let her win for once, you greedy bastard!" He said this all with a wide grin. "Or are you not going to give up on victory until she does?! Geez! Settle this already, we don't have all day here!"

They acted as if they didn't hear him or, if they did, they didn't dare to comply with it. Some time passed…

Then, a truce was finally made. Simultaneously as Mugen was slowly placed back in its sheath, Deathtrap and Lifeline withdrew their physical distance, limp at the sides. However, both Exorcists faced away from each other, nearly back to back with each other with theirs arms folded across their chests. Their expressions clearly showed disgruntlement about this, dissatisfied, as they held their heads up high.

"Che, like I'll ever admit defeat to the shorty! And the day I do is when that stupid rabbit stops being a skirt chasing womanizer!"

"Hrmph! There's no way I refuse to lose to a stupid, hot tempered idiot! And the day I do is the day I will look like a female as well as dress up as one! I wouldn't have wishful thinking on that either if I were you – that goes to you especially, Daisya!"

_Wait, she actually knew?! _The older Turk felt surprise struck a sucker punch to his face. _Aw man, Lavi and I already pissed her off yesterday and I don't want to make her so mad again!_

"And Lavi, this message goes to you too if you've been listening to what I just said! If I find out you're eavesdropping at the moment, you have Hell to pay when I confront you later. It'll get even worse if you lie to me, so don't you even dare weasel your way out of it!"

_Crap, I got caught. _Lavi thought nervously with a wince, having heard this from the library window as he had hid himself from view the whole time he was watching their brawl. _Lord, have mercy on me… Bad enough she was already mad at me—and Daisya—to begin with because of what happened yesterday!_

General Tiedoll, Daisya, Marie, and Lavi all sighed, shaking their heads at the two and smiling slightly for they knew this was going to happen with Kanda and Rue. Those two were too prideful when it came to each other; after all, they were considered as worse enemies.

But, that still didn't change the one, true fact of what had just taken place.

It was official, Kanda Yuu and Rue Marucut had their first draw.

* * *

"You really should try to lessen your injuries when you're training, Rue." Lenalee voiced out concernedly as she was busy sewing the tears on Rue's top while sitting on her bed. "The Matron is getting worried about you as it is."

"And that's the sole reason why I prefer tending to my injuries on my own when it comes to the training sessions. I don't want her to worry anymore, Lenalee, since she has a lot of troubles what with Exorcists and missions." A topless Rue reasoned bluntly, sitting in the same chair as before (near the window) in Lenalee's room, having gotten out medical items from her pouch and taking care of her wounds. She dabbed gauze and rubbing alcohol on the cuts with cotton balls and ointment on the burns. For the bruises, she had applied an ice pack on each part for a couple of minutes, alternating.

It was a wonder she wasn't even flinching because of the alcohol, but she would let out a low hiss of pain from time to time.

As she busied herself wrapping new bandages around her arms and her chest, applying band-aids on her cheeks and the bridge of her nose, she continued on speaking.

"Besides, we both know Kanda wouldn't hold back in a fight, so we already knew this was going to happen, anyway."

"That's true… He doesn't delay his actions at all. He's serious in his fighting, so I suppose it really can't be helped, after all."

"Least there weren't any sprained limbs or broken bones or, worse, life threatening injuries. Now THAT would've made the Head Nurse kick up a fuss."

The Chinese female giggled, nodding in agreement as she pushed the needle in the fabric and pulled on the black thread, repeating the process.

"Yeah; then, she'll lecture Kanda that he'll end up killing you if he kept it up. Probably, she'll also say something like this: 'I don't care what your excuse is, Kanda! You still have to remember that Rue is female and there's only so much her body can take! Even if there are females can hold their own in fighting, whether in the Exorcist profession or outside of it, it still doesn't change the fact that they're still vulnerable!'"

The tomboy snorted at this, knowing that was very possible to happen, as she shook her head. Even if the Head Nurse were to say something like that, it wouldn't have changed anything. Knowing Kanda very well, he wouldn't have given a damn, anyway, and continued on treating her like this whenever they would spar together. He also knew very damn well that Rue was far from feminine and even acknowledged her as such.

She would've preferred it that way whether she was a girl or a boy, anyway, since she didn't mind at all.

"All right, done!" Lenalee held up the top, checking if she missed anything else; then, she handed it back to Rue. Rue looked at the piece of clothing, amazed, because her friend's sewing was flawless. It looked like the top was brand new again.

Slipping it on, she also grabbed her Exorcist coat and buttoned it, relishing the warmth it provided.

As she enfolded her red cloak around her neck, she bowed down to Lenalee.

"Thank you, Lenalee. Your sewing really did help me."

With a smile, the Chinese female got up and hugged Rue, making her stiffen slightly.

"There's no need to be formal with me, I told you. I was just glad to help. You're welcome, though, Rue."

"Hmmm…" She looked up at the fourteen-year-old and saw that she was frowning.

"Eh?" She pulled away, examining her face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, but…"

"But?"

"I was just wondering if… If you wanted to eat with me."

Confusion turned to surprise; then, the surprise melted away into a warm smile.

"Silly Rue!" Lenalee grabbed her hand and led Rue out of the room, closing the door. "No need to ask, of course I do!"

* * *

It was a good day to eat in the cafeteria with the warm atmosphere and lively chatter. Having sat at a table near the counter, the two were chatting with each other and Jerry as he served meals.

"He did that?!" Lenalee stopped eating her chocolate cake for a moment as she laughed at the story Rue told. "I swear people should really know you don't like being startled or disturbed from your sleep by now or you'll end up making a hit list at this rate."

"I know, right?!" Rue made a sound, an offspring between a groan and a sigh, eating her bowl of beef noodles. "It's bad enough your brother and Lavi do it to me, but now Daisya's in it too by using the Charity Bell on me as some sort of alarm! He's been doing it for months now! When he did that to me the first time, I was in such a bad mood that nobody dared to come near me all morning because of that, not even Kanda or Lavi risked it. Honestly, I think they're doing it on purpose…"

"If you think that's bad enough, you should've seen what happened yesterday, sweetie pie." Jerry chuckled with a wide grin on his face, addressing to Lenalee. "This ensued when I was giving a cooking lesson to Rue. Now, you know I've been teaching her for months."

The Chinese girl nodded knowingly, eager to listen. Her companion, seeing where this was heading, made a face as she concentrated on eating her Peking duck, determined not to hear the story.

"I was helping her on how to make homemade chocolate truffles…"

* * *

_In the kitchen…_

_"While we're waiting for the chocolate for the truffles to cool in the fridge, so we can roll them up into balls later, we're tempering the other chocolate batch, so we can use it for the outer coating of the truffles." Jerry told Rue gently, seeing her watch the chocolate melting in a large bowl; under it was a pot filled with boiling hot water. "Keep an eye on the chocolate and make sure it melts completely. Make sure it's smooth too."_

_ Rue nodded firmly, stirring the chopped chocolate with a wooden spoon to make it liquefy faster. _

_ While the cook went off to the refrigerator to check if the chocolate hardened enough for them to roll up, the girl was stirring the chocolate cautiously, keeping a close eye on it. She didn't pay attention to the quiet footsteps in the kitchen coming up behind her, someone putting something on the floor before making a hasty withdrawal. _

_ All of a sudden, a very loud ringing caused her to jump up in panic, tossing the wooden spoon right out of the counter. There was a good guess on where the wooden spoon may've landed for that she heard a very pissed off Kanda cursing his head off soon after, something or another about chocolate being in his hair. Because of the startling noise, she jumped backwards and ended up slipping on a banana peel she didn't see. This sent her flying, crashing into one of the cabinets back first, one of them was ajar. The sudden, strong impact of her collision had toppled over a bag of flour from said-cabinet, causing her to be pure white from head to foot._

_ But, it didn't stop from there. A bag of cocoa powder spilled out as well, causing her to become brown as well. From the looks of it, she might as well be labeled a brown cow now._

_ Rue twitched, quite angry because of her clumsiness. She even winced slightly, having a long cut out of nowhere that had nicked her leg. But, something caught her eye as she looked up at the ceiling. Up there floating in midair…_

_ Was that the Charity Bell?_

_ She heard hysterical laughter nearby. Getting up hastily, following the retreating Charity Bell, she stomped over to where the noise was coming from._

_ Turning a corner, near the doorway, she found Daisya and Lavi rolling on the floor in hysterics as they were laughing so hard. The Charity Bell attached itself to the end of Daisya's hood, confirming the female's suspicions._

_ "Well, well, well…" Rue mumbled darkly, practically seething at the red handed culprits. "Looks like I found some rats in the kitchen."_

_ "Oh shit!!! R-Rue, this isn't what it looks like, ehehe—"_

_ "RUN, BITCH, RUN!!!"_

_ Jerry, having heard the racket (who wouldn't, honestly?), went over to see what was going on. But once he felt the dark aura coming from Rue, he immediately backed away and went about his business, pretending he hadn't seen anything._

_ Before Lavi and Daisya could make a run for it, something stopped them. Lavi realized he was stuck to the wall, not sure why it was like this. That was, until he checked for himself. Glancing from the corner of his left eye, he went deathly pale as a butcher knife pinned his orange scarf in place, about a meter away from his face. Some strands of red hair had got cut off because of that, making it quite the close call._

_Daisya, too, was trapped as a steak knife fastened him by the hood of his Exorcist cloak. His eyes widened as few strands of brown locks were falling in front of him, some of his bandages having been sliced off too and now undone._

"_If you thought Kanda was scary to piss off… I'll be very honest right now: I'm worse, way worse." _

_They both exchanged fearful glances, gulping hard, having already noted the deadly accuracy Rue had when wielding the knives in such a fashion._

_How foolish, to anger a professional assassin._

"_You two…"_

_They both looked hesitantly, frightfully, to find a look on Rue that they wished not to see again._

_Looking into the face of Death is very much appealing, isn't it?_

"_ARE GONNA DIE!!!"_

_Throughout the Black Order that night, one could hear the never ending howling and pleading for help and mercy._

* * *

At this point, Lenalee was laughing to the point she was crying when Jerry finished the tale. Rue, however, felt herself growing hot in the face, scowling at yesterday's memory; right now, she was trying to hide her bright red face by eating her ice cream sundae.

"No wonder you were sending Lavi and Daisya death glares all morning!" Lenalee, while her laughter died down, couldn't stop snickering. "I can't blame you, though. I would've been really angry if they did that to me too."

"Seriously…" Rue muttered with a growl, still angry about it. "Stupid idiots…"

"Well, you know how it is, sweetie." Jerry smiled, amused. "Boys will be boys, so don't mind them."

"Well, you weren't the one who slipped on a banana peel and got both cocoa power AND flour dumped on you…"

They resumed talking about other things shortly after that. But then, they were interrupted when Komui came in and grabbed Rue's arm, dragging her away.

"S-Sir Komui—!" Rue was flabbergasted on his actions, quite confused as she had no idea what she did.

"Big brother!" The younger Lee sibling called to the other in protest, puzzled as well. "What's going on?! Why are you pulling away Rue like that?!"

"Nothing, my precious sister!" Komui responded back with a cheerful voice, smiling. "I just need to talk to Rue about something important!"

The two females exchanged glances, not sure what he meant by this. But nonetheless, she didn't put up a struggle as she was half-hauled, half-escorted by the Supervisor.

When they got out of the cafeteria and into the corridor, looking around to make sure they were completely out of earshot, Komui handed Rue a piece of folded paper.

"What is it, Sir?" Perplexity was evident.

"It's a note." He whispered to her truthfully.

"From who?"

"Lavi. He told me to give it to you if I saw you. Though I've a feeling what it may be about, this is between you two, so it's none of my business. Though…"

"What is it?"

"Don't worry too much… Okay?" Komui told her gently, though his expression was mismatched. His smile was warm, but his eyes were sad. "Lavi will be fine."

He walked away, not saying anymore, leaving the younger female very much befuddled more than before. Nervously, she unfolded the note, her eyes meeting the Bookman apprentice's familiar handwriting.

_Rue,_

_If you got the note; then, I'm glad it's with you since I didn't want it to fall into the wrong hands. Listen carefully. I want you to meet up with me at the Black Order's entrance as soon as you get this note. There's something important I need to tell you. I think people are already aware about this, obviously Komui is, but it wouldn't be fair if I left you out of it because I know you'll be angry at me for leaving you in the dark._

_So, please… Find me. I want to see you again, even if just for a moment…_

_-Lavi_

_What…? _Rue had a bad feeling about this, clenching the paper in her hand, crushing it. _Why does it sound like that he's going to…_

_No… I have to find him. I have to find Lavi now._

Pocketing the note quickly, she ran.

* * *

"Gramps… Go ahead of me to the train station. I'll be there in a moment since I forgot something."

"Make sure you'll meet up with me as soon as possible, all right, Lavi? We're on a tight schedule and we have to complete this as soon as we can."

"I know, Gramps, understood."

Bookman departed after that, ending the conversation. And Lavi continued waiting, tightening the scarf around his neck as the cold, autumn air was getting to him. He shivered slightly, but he still leaned against the doorway of the entrance, still waiting.

He heard sprinting and got up, looking behind him. To his shock, the person fell to their knees, out of breath as the inhale and exhale of air was taken in big gulps.

"Did I… Did I make it…?" He heard her mutter, uncertainty shaking in her voice.

"You did." He answered gently, crouching down in front of her as he greeted her with a small smile. "Hey, Rue."

"Lavi…" Rue looked up at him, a mix of blurred emotion in her eyes. "What's… What's going on?"

"Rue…" That look on his face made him feel sad for some reason. But, he told the truth to her in a serious voice. "I'm leaving on a mission to Ireland. According to the briefs Komui gave me, it's a mission that's been unsolved for a few months now. And it looks like a lot of chaos is going on since a lot of Finders, and some Exorcists, that were sent there have been claimed as missing. Because of that, Bookman and I got assigned to do this. I'm telling you this… Because…"

He hesitated. But, he still found something within him to tell her honestly.

"I'm telling you this because… With how the others turned out, given the current circumstances on this, it'll be a long mission. I may not be able to come back for six months or more; perhaps, maybe one or two years at the most if it comes down to that."

A numb shock ran through her body when she heard this, at a loss of words. She felt like she didn't have the strength to stand.

_He'll be… Gone for that long? _She thought to herself, trying to find words to reassure herself with; of course, this was proven futile. _Well, that's fine since some Exorcists took up such missions like that, so it's not like it's a rare case or anything. Besides, back in the Underground Society, we assassins were like that too: being given extended tasks, risking our lives, and perhaps fulfilling those duties while we gave up our lives in the process. This is no different, of course it isn't._

_Then, why… Why do I feel like this?_ Anxiety caused her to quiver intensely. _Why should I feel so worried? Why am I worried, anyway?! Lavi can fend for himself… He's very capable of that…_

_But… But… How come?_

All thoughts were cut off as a tight warmth engulfed Rue whole. Lavi was hugging her, trying to calm her down, having sensed something was wrong the moment she got quiet. With newfound strength, she embraced him in return as tightly as she could with her small arms.

"Rue… You're shaking a lot…"

"…I know…"

"Are you… Afraid of not seeing me again? Are you afraid that this'll be the last time we'll meet?"

Only a quiet nod answered him.

"Rue…" A hand caressed her back to let her know that he was still around; he settled his head on top of her own as he spoke quietly, tenderly. "Don't think of this as a painful parting or something to be afraid of."

"Then…" She spoke with a muffled voice, her head into his chest as her hands fisted the fabric of his Exorcist coat. "Promise me…"

"Rue…"

Rue looked up at Lavi with an expression he couldn't quite describe, but it looked sad; to him, at least. He felt his heart being squeezed because of seeing it. When she spoke, it was a whisper; a trembling, cracking voice.

"Promise me that you'll come back alive and well. Promise me that you'll look for me when you come back to the Black Order, whenever that may be… And promise me… Promise me that you'll see me again."

She locked eye contact with him, the emotions—whatever they were—overwhelming. With a brief but sincere smile on his face, he pulled her close to him again, his cheek resting against her head. The hand that was stroking her back moved up to her head, running his fingers through her hair.

"I promise, Rue. I promise that… I'll come back."

She nodded a little, satisfied with this, feeling herself slowly calming down.

As much as he wanted to stay like this for a while longer, he still had a mission to do. Getting up to his full height, Lavi took Rue's hand and hoisted her up to stand too. Fiddling around with his coat pockets, he took out two things. One of them was the exchange diary while the other item was a small box. Wondering what was in the box, he gave them to her.

"Read the entry I wrote in there when you go back to your room. The same goes for the box, open it when you're there."

"Eh? Well… All right…"

Lavi gave her another tight hug, whispering in her ear, the warmth of it sending a slight shiver down her spine.

"Remember that… This isn't goodbye. It's a 'see you later,' okay?"

He pulled back slowly, flashing a big, warm smile at her; a smile that she wouldn't see for some time.

"Yeah…" She nodded reluctantly, meeting his eyes with rejuvenated resolve. "Then, it's see you later, Lavi."

"See you later, Rue. Remember that I promised…"

He walked past her, ruffling her hair one last time as he made his way out of Black Order HQ. She watched him go, clutching the journal and the box in her arms tightly. She watched him until he was a faint speck in the distance of the colors of the early evening.

* * *

"Now then… To open the box or the journal first…" Rue looked between the two items on her bed, unsure which one to take first. "Maybe I should read the journal after opening the box? Because as far as I can suspect, it could be a gift…"

Making up her mind, she took the box into her lap and studied it. It was such a strange box, really; half of it was black, the other white. Though it had no wrapping on it, what sealed the box shut was a gray ribbon. Untying it, she pried the box open.

What she didn't expect was something zoomed out of there and smacked her straight in the face.

"What the?!" She fell off the bed with a loud thud, her hands clutching her nose. "Owww… That hurt! Lavi, what the Hell did you put in there?!"

She looked around frantically, one hand taking out one of her daggers in instinct. She sat up, her other hand still holding her nose since it was in such pain. When she got up, though, she found something hovering in front of her.

It was a gray sphere with wings on it, nothing on the surface. When Rue was poised to attack it, a pixilated face appeared on it. It looked very scared, its stubby legs held up in surrender.

"What?" She eyed it suspiciously. "You're not going to hurt me?"

It nodded in response, much to her surprise. Zooming around, the gray sphere pointed fretfully to the journal on her bed.

"Eh…? Ah, you mean read the journal since Lavi wrote in there."

It nodded again, a nervous smile on its face.

Taking the book, she settled down onto the floor, flipping through the pages.

And there, she found it.

_November 4__th_

_ By the time you read this, I've already spoken to you about the long term mission I'm going on and I've already left. So, instead of focusing on such negative things, let me explain the thing that popped out of the box (I've a feeling that it smacked you in the face the moment you opened the box, I'm really sorry about that! I guess it must've been pretty excited to come out and see you!) _("You could've warned me about that thing doing that earlier, you know!" Rue growled, shaking her fist in the air. "It hurt my nose!")

_Anyway, let me explain about it. As you know, the Black Order makes golems to keep in touch with Exorcists and Finders when they go out on missions. Since I was leaving for this mission and around this time marks a year since you've came in the Black Order, thus officially becoming an Exorcist… It took quite a while for Reever, Johnny, the rest of the Science Dept., and me to make this beauty. This is my gift to you for making it this far, your personal golem!_

_ As for what it does and what powers it has… Hmmm… Hehe, maybe I should keep it to myself and let you figure it out on your own! I'm sure you two will be able to get along._

_ Congratulations, Rue, you're a full fledged Exorcist. I'm very proud of you. Keep seeking for your purpose, I'm sure you'll find it in no time because I already know… You're a strong girl._

"Lavi… Thank you…" Rue was speechless, tracing the words with her fingers. Closing the book shut, she got up on her bed and hugged her fox plushie, watching the golem flying around the room with fast speed.

"Sheesh… You're just like your creator." She remarked with a mock aggravated tone, shaking her head at the golem. With a big smile, it flew to her at such a high speed, tackling her.

"ACK!!! Hey, you already hurt my nose, don't try to break my ribs now!"

She was lying down now with the stuffed animal still in her arms, peering at the golem that bounced up and down on her stomach as it wore an excited smile.

"Hmmm… My own, personal golem, huh… I wonder what I should name it, then…"

Rue rapidly sat up, the golem flying onto her head as she did so, and she slapped her forehead.

"What am I saying?!" She yelled in disbelief. "I'm talking as if the golem is my pet or something!"

Hearing that, the golem floated in front of her face, smiling widely at her.

"Then again, it does have a personality… Taking after Lavi, apparently, from the way it acts. So, it might as well be called a pet, even though golems are only used as communication devices and nothing more. I'm still not sure what to name it, though…"

She thought long and hard, giving the gray sphere occasional glances.

She finally got it, though.

"Let's see… What about… Deja? Is it okay?"

The golem's pixilated face looked contemplative, trying to consider it. Then, it nodded slowly.

"Eh? Eh?!" Rue looked at it eye to eye. "You like it?"

Another nod, a happy smile on its face.

She hugged it, much to its wide eyed surprise.

"All right…" She had a slight smile on her face. "Your name is officially Deja, then…"

* * *

"You really did take long back there, you know." Bookman growled snappishly as they were in the train compartment, on their way to Ireland.

"What?! I forgot my headband in my room and it took long to find it since I forgot where I had put it! Besides, you saw that I didn't wear it before back in the Order, so don't think I'm lying about it." Lavi reasoned back, lying convincingly for that he knew he was in for it if the elder found out he was with Rue. "I swear, you get worked up over the littlest things, Old Panda—"

A flying kick from the elderly man cut him off, sending him crashing into the next cubicle, much to the surprise and displeasure of the other passengers.

"Don't call me that, idiot apprentice! You wouldn't even care if I died from waiting for you in the cold! And what would you do, then, without your master?!"

Getting up, wiping a bloody nose, he tackled the elder back to the first class compartment, both of them in a personal scuffle.

"What do you mean by that?! Of course I would care because you're my master! And I'm still going to take over the Bookman name, anyway, so what are you so worried about?!"

"Not with the way you are now! You keep this up and you'll soil the Bookman name!"

"Who says I will?!"

"I do because I know how you think and act!"

"Why, you old geezer—"

"What was that, you greenhorn novice?!"

So much for long, peaceful traveling to Ireland.

* * *

Hitomi: And so, it ends here for now. Really, I had no idea how the chapter was going to turn out or how the flow of it go. So, thinking long and hard on it, I wrote and wrote, not stopping. Occasionally, I had to pause myself from writing in order to think of ideas and such as well as wondering how everyone was going to act and say stuff.

Finally, Rue gets her Exorcist cloak, the symbolism of being an Exorcist… Sorry for the long description of it, but I really wanted people to see how much it stood out. To be honest with you, it was difficult describing the coat itself, even though I had visual reference for it. For those who are curious what Rue's cloak looks like, you'll find a picture of it in my profile.

There's the entire General Tiedoll unit, spending time together as Kanda and Rue fight away like usual. I know, I mentioned the Heart in there, but before you jump to conclusions (especially to those who are so tempted to mark Rue as a Mary Sue again because of this), that doesn't mean Rue is the Heart. Like in DGM canon, any one of the Exorcists is capable of holding the Heart, and Rue's no exception to that solid fact. If anything, if I were to write about the Heart later on, I'd probably put both Allen and Lenalee into it since they're the ones who are suspected to have the Heart, but it's yet to be confirmed at this point.

As for those wondering about the elements of Rue's Innocence… Well, as far as I know, this is what it narrows down to:

Fire = Anger

Earth = Determination

Wind = Relaxation/Freedom

Energy = Fear/Confusion/Worry

XD Who would've thought Kanda and Rue had FINALLY called the match to a draw, though? And they're not happy about it, ahaha. Daisya tried to help, but they're not listening to him! ^^; I feel so bad for him, then…

Lenalee/Rue time, hehe. Since being taught on how to be feminine (by JERRY of all people), Lenalee was the perfect choice to pick when it came to sewing Rue's top after having it ripped open by Mugen. Having them eat together again was something I wanted to write about once more… Although, I was very amused when writing on Jerry telling the story on why Rue had been mad at Lavi and Daisya (also explaining why those two panicked about making her angry). Well, since Daisya doesn't like boredom and always pranks General Tiedoll with the Charity Bell and Lavi is a prankster, I had them do it. If you're wondering how the banana peel got on the floor, Lavi was the one who put it there.

And yeah, I had Jerry in this particular lesson teach Rue on how to make chocolate truffles. I'm not sure why myself either. Probably it's because it's one of the things I know how to make from scratch.

Well, Komui knew about the mission Lavi was going on, so he felt that he had to fulfill Lavi's wish since Rue had every right to know about it (since she's close to him). This was also why he told her not to worry about Lavi and such, even though Rue had no idea what he was talking about.

Then, the Lavi x Rue scene as well as Deja/Rue. I didn't want the scene to be too emotional because it may sound exaggerated to others… On the other hand, though, you can't expect Rue to take the news calmly either. Of course she would worry about Lavi not being able to come back to her, the possibility of him dying being so painfully real. But, I also wanted to end the scene in a positive way, hence a "see you later" instead of "goodbye."

Deja/Rue… Deja is a golem whose powers are unknown as of now and it (well, because it's a French female name, she) was built by Lavi's hands while the Science Dept. helped him. The name, Deja, is French for "before" since I plan for one of its powers having to do with the time in the past, memories. Though, for some reason, I wanted to find other names for it. And for those who are wondering why I haven't gotten any Filipino names… Well, it's because A) When it comes to Filipino names, it's American and Spanish ones and B) I very rarely hear of any Filipinos that have names that are Filipino sounding (hope that made sense).

Though, I still have a slight urge to change Deja's name, but I guess we'll see.

I also forgot to mention that Deja was originally going to be a Christmas present given to Rue, but I scratched out the idea.

And then, ending the chapter in a humorous note with a Lavi/Bookman squabble. Well, Bookman still wants Lavi to limit contact with Rue, so Lavi had to lie about what took him so long. XD The lie itself was a half-truth, though: while it's true he wasn't wearing his headband back in the Order, he had forgotten he had it in his coat pocket the whole time until he gave Rue the exchange diary and the box Deja was in.

XD To think peaceful traveling would suddenly turn noisy… Oy… Looks like Lavi won't get any sleep for a while.

Anyway, I'm finally happy that I'm done~

*grins* But, it doesn't end here!


	21. Rebirth

Hitomi: All right! It's all set now! I thank all of you for giving me the usual, be it reviews/feedback, alerts, and favorites. I appreciate what all of you have to say. But, before we begin, I shall make some responses…

That Reminiscent Sky – I know, right?! Too bad you forgot what you said in the rest of the review since FF . net was busy updating the site and all. But yep, Rue worked a long way to become an Exorcist. I thought Lavi may try to do something like that, so I needed to get created on the fluff. And yes, I allow the rambling on MSN. Let's kill together!!! XD

Peter the Otaku – It was pretty hard to write Lavi leaving on a long term mission, but I wanted to see how Rue was going to deal with it. It's true that Deja's name would've derived from déjà vu, but that was unintentional (and now that you pointed it out, now her main power is definitely cemented with time). But yeah, Deja would probably remind of Lavi the most since the way she/it acts and the fact she was created by Lavi's hands… XD I was actually having fun writing the story when Lavi and Daisya were pranking Rue. Crap, a few grammar mistakes?! Eeek! Must go edit it! And thank you~

Soulless Ghosty – Ah wow, thank you! And you read the story—up to the latest chapter—in two days?! AGH! XD Well, this is me being worried about your health, ehehe… Eh, really?! I'm glad you think my story's good, despite some mistakes… Hehehe, I really had fun writing about Kanda crossdressing (it was about time I'd made him the victim of something!) Although, it's funny to say déjà rue out loud, honestly, and I've a feeling I'm gonna make a joke out of it… Yes, I know the ending's a bit sad, but that'll be the least of their worries since I know I'll make them go through worse… Well, I would say that Lavi made Rue a golem to keep in contact, but I would make the contact brief since Bookman wouldn't want his apprentice to be attached to her. Perhaps, this is why she hasn't heard from him for a long time… Crap, I completely forgotten about that! That means I may have to rewrite it… Ahaha, damn! But, thank you!

Kevin-niichan – Awww boo! So, one or two jarring words appeared in there… Crap! But, I'm glad you said that I improved. That's why I had to point out to people—before they could be really snobby about the whole Mary Sue business—that Rue isn't the Heart. Nah, Rue isn't nonhuman or a noble (if she were a noble, it'd be rather ironic since the Underground Society kill such people when they become corrupt). But, due to how her mom is faring (and I've yet to say how her dad works as I can't think of anything yet), I'd say they'd be in the middle class (not sure whether to place her as upper or lower, but she's definitely not one of a luxuriously wealthy inheritance unlike Edina [and Aiko IF she became a major character here]). I had fun writing the Daisya/Lavi scene when they were playing a prank on Rue like that, but yeah, it's too bad they never did such a thing in the original DGM canon… Hence why I wanted to write something like that. I already knew Black Order HQ was in the Britain/England area, so I didn't make any mistakes on that when I had Lavi and Rue travel by train to Paris last chapter. Yes, I know I wrote that Rue didn't have a coat the whole time she had been settled in the Black Order (which was for a year now from last chapter). Well, I plan to say something like that, but it's more like the explanation (which will be revealed in this chapter) on why she didn't go through the monthly Innocence synchronization rate check ups: It's because Rue doesn't want to be reminded of her weakness/incompetence as an Exorcist before.

Now then… *grins* Commencing on the time skip to one year later!

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

* * *

In the Black Order, there was total chaos; a chaos so unspeakable that many were afraid to tell the tale of it. Of course, to one's imagination, there were endless possibilities where this was heading. However, if you think it's such a big deal when reading this, it really isn't what you think it is.

In the training area was a total uproar. Many Finders, all of the Science Department, and some Exorcists that weren't on missions were gathered around the vicinity. They were watching, shouting, cursing, and cheering at what was displayed before them.

Bugs, fireballs, sharp rocks, and wind blades were flying all over the place, both sides trying to get a cuff at their opponents. It was a hit and miss to all of the projectiles, succeeding and failing to hit the targets' weak points. Words weren't exchanged, clashes of weaponry and spells echoed all over the place, and the heavy breathing and occasional grunts of pain were the only things heard from the people in question.

Mugen struck again, slicing Lifeline's palm as the white—now red stained—hand grabbed the blade to stop its moving as Deathtrap, with its luminous fire, made its move to palm strike the opponent at the chest. Successful, but it would take a lot more to take him down.

The Second Illusion was cast, causing her to hiss out a curse as the sheath—now a second sword—imprinted its mark onto her left side, the black top now stained with a dark red there. She palm struck him again in the same place out of spite, at the same time pushing herself away to not get near the sheath anymore as she put herself in a stance – knees bent, arms up, fists clenched.

He did his best not to grimace at the second blow of fire her Innocence gave to him again, his movements with his swords fluid, graceful, a whirlwind of slashes with no way out for her.

"Come on, Rue! You can do it!" A familiar voice—Daisya—screamed from the large crowd, knowing that she was doing her best right now. "Take Kanda down!"

"Hah! I'd say it's Kanda who's going to take 'him' down first because 'he' looks weak!" Another recognizable voice—a snooty one—sneered spitefully. "After all, Kanda's known for killing Finders, so I bet you he'll take this one down easily! Rue's unworthy to be called as an Exorcist, anyhow!"

"Edina," A third, identifiable voice snapped sharply to the second, provoked. "As always, you're so judgmental, thinking you know what people's personalities are just by looking at them. I suggest you keep quiet right now because Rue isn't weak as you think 'he' is."

"But, look at 'him!' There's no way 'he' can win this, Armando, 'he' just can't! The day Rue wins will be the day that I'll be poor!"

"Edina."

"But, Armando—"

"You noisy, ungrateful, derogatory, stuck up _bitch_. Shut the Hell up now before I get really pissed at you for your behavior. If you don't keep quiet that chatterbox of yours, and being ugly while you're at it, you're going to get sent into a coma _again _like last time. Remember that that lasted for almost a year due to the injuries you received in Germany. But now, this tells me you haven't learned your lesson at all, which means you're being a spoiled, bitchy brat as always. Nobody will like you if you keep this up."

"Why you insolent, cruel, cold-hearted, unfeeling bastard—"

"And you think that's worse than what you're doing now? You're allowed to say what you feel, fine. But when you talk badly of people, be it within earshot, behind their backs, or right in front of their face, everyone will hate putting up with your shitty attitude. Grow up, Edina."

And so, the female Finder kept her mouth shut, biting her lip from saying anymore as unshed, angry tears welled up in her eyes. The male Finder wasn't sympathetic to this; rather, he only gave her a cold glare to show her that he obviously didn't care. Then, he turned to the scene in front of him, focusing once more on the brawl.

Hell's Insects scorched the female Exorcist's flesh, black appearing on her arms and neck. In retaliation, she dashed over to her rival and gave him an uppercut, the earth covered Lifeline increasing the punch's strength. This sent him hurtling to the ground with quite a solid, loud thump. However, he wasn't finished as he used the opportunity to lash Mugen on her legs, the flesh there now coated with blood, causing her to topple over in pain.

They exchanged dark glares at each other, their stamina low, their breathing ragged with fatigue. Both of them were sitting up on the ground, but neither gave into the urge of lying down on the earth in spite of how weak their bodies were feeling at the moment.

The crowd saw this, all of them with various reactions, but notably on the same wavelength of a particular emotion: unending frustration with a lot of groaning and cursing all around.

"What the Hell, man?! Are you fucking serious?!"

"Are you telling me it's a draw?! AGAIN?!"

"This is bullshit!"

"Man! I was hoping Rue would really beat the crap out of Kanda this time! Shit, this sucks!"

"Why the Hell is it always like this?!"

"With the way things have been going between these two recently, nobody is ever going to win the bets!"

"How can we win our bets if there's no declared winner every damn time?! Geez, this always happens!"

"All of the damn betting money is going to waste again!"

"Awww man, another tie again?! What fucking gives?!"

The rivals gave each other silent, knowing glances in spite of their current feelings towards each other. They weren't surprised with the people's reactions as this always happened since last year when gossip of their first tie flew all over the vicinity. So, in times like this, there was a mutual understanding between them as both Exorcists found it quite irritating.

If their spectators were really going to act like this every damn time, maybe they should quit betting on who'll win in their battles.

* * *

**Unravel**

**XXI**

**Rebirth**

[_My name is Rue Marucut._

_I am now a capable, full-fledged Exorcist in the Tiedoll division._

_I am still looking for my purpose in this life._

_I may not be able to understand a lot of things,_

_But I'm still trying hard to learn what it's like to live._]

* * *

In the cafeteria, it was as noisy as ever. However, word of the duel had spread like wildfire and it was the talk of all morning.

"Well, that sucked!" Daisya complained loudly, stuffing his face with rice and shark meat. "I thought there'd be a chance of a win, but it ends up being another draw again! Damn it! Though, it wasn't my idea on betting the fights in the first place…"

"It can't be helped, Daisya." Lenalee sighed softly, taking a bite of her curry chicken. "While Rue may be stronger now, Kanda's a tough opponent to take down. But, you know how she is; she'll keep trying, no matter how long it takes, until she defeats him. Although I do find it odd that people would bet on their fights."

Marie only nodded, eating his dorayaki in silence.

"True, but it's just too bad." Armando commented disappointingly, barely having an appetite as he picked at his clam chowder. As he still found Edina a nuisance as always, they were sitting away from each other at separate tables; she didn't dare follow him as she knew that he was still very pissed off at her. "It's like a never ending struggle for her, you know?"

"Don't worry about her, she'll be all right." Jerry reassured from the counter, smiling as he was serving meals for the hungry people in the Black Order. "Where is Rue, anyway?"

Reever happened to hear this question as he was next in line for food as he answered for them to hear, "If you're wondering where Rue went off to, she's with Komui right now. They're checking her Innocence synchronization rate with Hevlaska."

* * *

In silence, two people were walking together to the top floor of the Black Order. Supervisor Komui Lee took the lead as always, his white coat swishing with his strides. His violet eyes—behind glasses—held a serious gaze, his indigo colored hair still kept under that white beret.

Behind him followed a quiet fifteen-year-old Rue Marucut, her hands tucked into her Exorcist coat pockets. Her usual, sharp blue-gray eyes held no semblance of emotion, a neutral expression to hide all of it. She seemed to have grown a bit on her height, the bottom lip piercing still there. She was still into her crossdressing habit, so she still looked like a boy; however, some development could be seen at her hips and legs, but not much to obviously give away her true gender. Perched on her still short strawberry blonde hair was Deja, her golem, who had a confused expression as she/it didn't know what was going on.

"You know why you're here again, right?" Her superior asked quietly, a small smile of his face.

Saluting him, the girl immediately replied seriously, "I know. It's been two years since I stepped in this place. I didn't want to make it a monthly check up as I didn't want to be reminded on how incompetent I had been before. Now… I'm ready, Sir Komui."

As these words had been said, Helvaska appeared into the room.

"Hello, Komui, Rue."

"Good day, Helvaska!" Komui greeted her cheerfully; then, turned to Rue with a smile. "Now then, Rue. Let's check your synchronization…"

"…To check if I've improved or not, of course. Ready when you are, Sir, Helvaska."

"All right, Helvaska! You know what to do!"

The spirit grabbed the female with her tentacles, letting one of them enter her body. The crossdressing Exorcist maintained a cool head, not a mark of discomfort or fear on her unlike two years before (though she tried to remain impassive that time). She already knew the process, and also knew that Helvaska wouldn't harm her, so she trusted her.

Finally, the apparition spoke.

"You've reached… 86%."

Blue-gray eyes widened, the unspoken surprise rendering the fifteen-year-old to speechlessness. Deja took the moment to fly around the room in glee, happy for her/its mistress.

From down below on the platform, Komui was indescribably happy when hearing the news.

"Wow, Rue! You've really improved a lot because of training with Kanda as well as getting experience outside! Although I keep telling you not to push yourself too much…" He looked up, making eye contact, flashing a warm smile at her. "I'm very proud of you, Rue, for working hard and for not giving up."

"As I thought, you're a strong-willed child and I never had any doubt in you. Very good job, Rue, your effort has paid off." Helvaska spoke serenely, a hint of praise in her voice.

"Thank you very much." Rue managed to find her voice again, the shock of the news slowly wearing off as an indescribable feeling overflowed inside her. "The prophecy… Is it still the same as before?"

"Yes."

"I see…" A displeased frown appeared on her face now as she was set back down on the platform, her golem settled on her head again. "I still need to work on that, I suppose… I already know that I haven't learned enough, so I still needed to ask to make sure…"

"Don't worry!" Her boss clamored optimistically, trying to restore her confidence back. "You'll get it soon enough."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure! You'll be okay, Rue."

Bidding Helvaska goodbye, the two left side by side. Rue had gone silent again, the scowl still there, contemplating on what the female ghost told her about the prophecy she had since two years ago.

_Heh… I guess I still need to learn on emotions, huh?_

Sensing the dissatisfaction, Komui tried to get her mind off of it by attempting to talk to her about a different topic.

"You know, I've noticed something…"

She looked at him with puzzlement, wondering where he was going with this.

"While you're still the same as before, you've opened up on feeling more. Though it's still difficult for you to express, you still feel something. I know I may be talking nonsense, but… Bear with me, I'll get to the point in a moment."

He cleared his throat; then, a certain glint sparkled in his amethyst eyes. And Rue felt bothered for that she knew that look, having seen it quite a couple of times. She felt as if she was sweating bullets just by looking at it, like she got caught from doing something bad. Deja, who had been bouncing on her head for a few minutes straight since hearing the news of Rue's improved synchronization rate, stopped immediately as she/it saw this, a suspicious look plastered on her/its face.

"Lately, while you've changed by slowly opening up, I've been observing that you've been thinking too most of the time; more than usual, whether you realize it or not. Your eyes also look far-off when you're reflecting on your thoughts. Apparently…" A wide, perceptive grin curved onto his face. "It's happened ever since _he _left last year."

Rue's heart reacted in the most peculiar way she had experienced, but it wasn't the first time it happened when it came to this particular someone. It throbbed with a dull ache at the mention of that certain person, a painful squeeze. She looked away from Komui immediately, a bright red growing on her face as her bangs hid her expression.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Sir Komui." Rue stated coldly, her left hand a loose fist at her side. Her golem, however, knew the truth as her/its sly expression told all. Her/Its mistress may be good at concealing, but there's no way she could be so dishonest.

"Oh, come on! Don't deny it!"

"I am not denying it. I really don't have a clue what you're speaking about."

"Isn't it obvious?! I'm talking about Lavi!"

Fiery red hair usually held up by a green headband. The one, left jade green eye that was always exposed; the other eye—his right—covered by a black eye patch. A long scarf—typically orange—was the one thing that couldn't go amiss when he was traveling from place to place; his trademark of sorts as he always had one at hand and it was one of the items that made him—at least, in her opinion—very noticeable. His smile, the one expression she could never forget about, the expression that stood out the most to her with its radiance and its warmth; the smile that was always there, be it when used as a mask or when he was truly feeling.

Lavi Bookman Jr.

Hearing his name brought on another twinge at the bottom of the girl's heart, making her mind curse, her face as red as an apple.

"I-I'm not distracted by him." Her icy words came out sharply, perhaps a little too forcefully than she intended it to be. "You know I always fulfill my duties."

"I know that, but…" Komui's smile, while showing his teasing mirth, was also full of understanding as his eyes softened towards her. "It's all right to feel that way. There's no need to lie about it because I know you would ask people if they've heard about him. Even though you have other people to keep you company… You… You feel alone without Lavi, don't you? As if feeling like something's missing, right?"

"I…"

"It's natural, Rue. You don't know it, but… This is your way of feeling lonely. You have others close to you, but you still feel lost without him."

Then, the teasing came back.

"I know you miss him, so don't lie about it!"

"I-I…" Blue-gray eyes peered at purple, a dark red all over her face, her obstinacy taking over and getting the better of her as Rue blurted out hotly. "I don't feel that way at all! While it's true that it feels out of place without Lavi, there's no way I would feel something like that! You said I have other people, but even when I'm by myself, I'm okay! I'm capable of taking care of myself and I don't need Lavi to watch over me all of the time!"

The fire in her voice crackled down to dying embers, a whisper of an unknown sentiment.

"I'm okay being like this." The blush was fiercely stubborn to remain on her cheeks, strings of curses in her thoughts as her heart was still acting so strangely when it came to the older boy. "So, don't tell me stuff like that because it's not true!"

She ran away without a word, leaving a stunned Komui in front of his office door.

He shook his head, his smile faint.

"Whether you want to admit it or not, you miss Lavi, Rue."

* * *

"Why do people feel lonely?"

The question was quiet enough to be swept away by the wind outside, but loud enough to reach to his ears as the two were lying down on the grass. His dark brown eyes scrutinizing her face, he wasn't sure on how to answer her as such a subject came out of the blue. Normally, General Tiedoll would be the one to explain to her, but because he went away to look for new Exorcists, Rue could only turn to the next person she could talk to.

His eyes drifted to the partly cloudy sky and he went quiet, his way of thinking over his answer.

_What should I tell her? Hmmm, only General Tiedoll could explain this better, but I guess I'll do my best to guide her on this. After all, I experienced this at some point or another._

"Hm, how to explain…" He began with a slight struggle, still trying to formulate his response. "Loneliness is when you feel alone, right? It's when you feel negative by feeling that you're all by yourself, that there's something missing. It can be felt when you're not with people and it can also be felt when you're with people because you may feel out of place around them. Furthermore, it can be felt when you start missing a person if you haven't seem them for a long period of time. When you miss somebody… You really, really want to see them."

"Is that why?"

_Is that… Why I've been feeling lonely all the time? Is it because he's not around in the Black Order? Well, he hasn't been around for a year now…_

"This is the best I can answer. It may not be enough for you, but I hope it got my point across."

"I see. I think you were able to tell me a good explanation, though, so thank you."

"No problem, but… What made you ask?"

"Well…"

A concerned frown formed on Daisya's face, turning to face her directly again.

"You're not isolating yourself, are you?"

"I'm not." Rue stated openly, shaking her head, her arms propped behind her head as a pillow to rest on. "You know that I still speak to other people in the Black Order, even though I may not be as sociable as many would want me to be."

"Then, what's wrong?"

Her silence answered him, her turn to look at the sky as she watched wistfully, her eyes clouded as she reflected. Memories began to turn the cogwheels of her mind; good memories and bad memories, made up of people and places, a swirl of color, many sounds, smells, and tastes… One emotion after another…

_His_ face appeared. Bright-eyed, smiling and laughing…

Deja, pocketed in her coat, watched her/its mistress with a concerned face.

"Eh? …Could it be that you actually _miss someone_?"

She snapped out of her trance, facing a grinning Daisya.

"What are you talking about?" Again, the denial showed itself.

"Seriously, Rue, it's not good to lie about it! If you feel lonely, and it isn't because you're not around people all of the time or you don't have friends (since you do); then, the reason why you feel this way is because you miss somebody!"

Damn that blush coloring her face again, cherry red this time.

"I do not." She grumbled with an indifferent tone, facing away from Daisya to the blue skies once more. "Why would I miss someone? And geez, why does it feel that everyone's saying this to me?! You're the second person to say that!"

"Awww, how cute, you're trying to deny that you're lonely, but you're blushing a lot right now! Haha, if I'm the second person to say something like this, it has to be true! So, who do you miss, hm?"

A low growl answered his teasing, clearly not in the mood to give a proper reply.

"Come on, you can tell your big brother Daisya anything!"

"Daisya, don't make me get out the daggers!"

"Not until you tell me the truth! You know you want to, Rue!"

She clicked her tongue in loathing, not wanting to reveal anything. How she really didn't want to expose what she really thought for once. But, if she didn't, he would use this against her.

A deep, harsh sigh of annoyance and resignation escaped, not wanting the older male to make fun of her anymore.

"Fine…"

Daisya stopped his joking, sitting up as he was looking—really looking—at Rue as she spoke. She looked at him straight in the eye as she sat up herself, red faced and all, as her eyes gave away all that she was trying so hard to hide.

"I… I'm lonely, Daisya. And I'm… Lonely because I… I miss someone, someone that I haven't seen or spoken to for a long time. I want to see him more and more every day, even though it's impossible now because I don't even know whether he's alive or not. Satisfied?"

She dropped eye contact after that, her bangs hiding her eyes. If one were to look carefully behind the hair, her eyes were dull and distant. At both sides, her hands were clenched tightly. Her heart, her damn heart, was feeling constricted again.

_Lavi…_

She felt a hand on her head, she didn't bother looking up at Daisya. She didn't expect the hug she got from him, though, as he pulled her into his arms. He messed up her hair, looking sad and guilty for her.

"I'm sorry, Rue…"

The only thing he heard from her were quiet words, words that sounded lost. At those words, he really felt her loneliness from somewhere inside, right from the bottom of her heart.

"Lavi… Where are you…?"

* * *

"Heh… Who would've thought I'd speak like that to Daisya?" Rue sighed, walking around in the Order's corridors, Deja trailing behind by a small distance. "I feel foolish now, acting like that…"

"Don't feel embarrassed, Rue." Lenalee reassured considerately, walking with her. "It's because you bottled it in for so long that you needed to get it out, somehow. Like big brother Komui and Daisya have tried to tell you, it's okay to say that you feel lonely. After all, it's a natural feeling when you miss someone."

"But, I can't help but feel like I've done something irrational. Ugh, maybe I still need to adjust feeling like this…"

She giggled, which got the other sending her a confused look. A small smile carved onto the Chinese female's face as she answered.

"Don't worry, you're getting there. Besides, opening up like that means you're making personal growth to understand emotions."

"I guess so, when you put it that way…"

"Besides, I had a feeling you were going to be like this when Lavi left, so… It's about time you spoke up about it. I was getting worried for you."

Rue turned away from her female friend and stayed completely silent on that, her face flushed red out of feeling flustered. She really didn't want to get into the fact that she honestly said she missed the Bookman apprentice.

"You know… I think being in General Tiedoll's unit must've been one of the things that helped you opened up a little more." She spoke thoughtfully, a warm smile on her face. "If it weren't for big brother Komui putting you there, I don't think you'd be like this now. Of course, he figured you'd be comfortable with General Tiedoll since you two came from the same country. But, he also put you in his team because it was not only for Kanda to train you; in addition, it was to help Kanda and you get along."

The fifteen-year-old stopped in her tracks unexpectedly, absorbing of what the sixteen-year-old had just said. Slowly turning around, darkened blue-gray met confused and surprised violet.

"What… What did you say, Lenalee?"

* * *

"Kanda, if you don't open this door right now, I'm going to permanently call you Yuuri! And I mean it!"

This must've caught his attention so quickly for that the Japanese male opened his bedroom door immediately. Rue must've disturbed him from his meditating as his face morphed from serene to angry in a split second.

"There better be a good reason why you're disrupting me right now, shorty. If you called me out here for nothing, you'll be seeing Mugen a lot often."

"Just hear me out, all right? This is something you need to know as it concerns you too."

A flicker of undeclared, mild interest briefly showed on his face.

"Che, what is it, then?"

* * *

"Ahhhh, what a long day." Komui muttered tiredly, resting his head on his desk. "I could use a good nap right about—"

The door slammed open.

"…Now?" He looked up, wondering what the racket was all about. Purple eyes widened in shock, blood draining from his face as a black blade and a silver blade met at his neck, a sinister atmosphere all around the room because two certain people.

"So, you mean to tell me…" Kanda growled lowly, so very tempted to kill off the Supervisor in front of him.

"That the reason why I had been put in the Tiedoll division, aside from training…" Rue muttered coldly, cracking the knuckles of her other hand.

"Was because it was to make us get along?!" Both of them yelled at the same time, quite livid about this. "You set us up!"

"Ehehehe…" Komui laughed nervously, edging away from the blades, getting up quickly to retreat from his office. "I'll be going now, I think I can hear Lenalee calling me…"

He ran for his life, already knowing that he was in huge trouble now.

"OH, HELL NO! YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET AWAY WITH THIS!"

"When I find you, Sir Komui, you're going to be in so much pain…"

* * *

They hunted him down all around the Black Order. People decided not to get involved as they saw Komui had gotten himself in this situation and they weren't going to help him get out of it. Besides, who would want to face the wrath of Kanda Yuu and Rue Marucut, when many knew that they were infamous for that?

"Destroy Komurin 1.5!" Rue called to Kanda from far off, running far ahead of him. "I'll be going after Sir Komui, so I can trap him!"

The Japanese male wasn't going to complain about that, he was actually going with the terms his female teammate put out. After all, he already knew that she was quite agile on her feet, so it wouldn't take long before she found their cowardly superior.

With an effortless swing of Mugen, he already destroyed the machine in one go, having already dodged its weaponry before.

Meanwhile, the mixed race female was on the pursuit for Komui, pressing her gloved palms onto the floor as they glowed brown. Jagged rocks pierced the flooring, successfully surrounding the Supervisor, who was not too far off. A dark smirk was on her face as she made the earth walls higher, guaranteeing him no way out to flee.

In no time, Kanda managed to catch up to them. Seeing the cage the girl he had made, he approached it.

"Lower the walls, shorty."

A slight nod was Rue's response as she closed her eyes in concentration, Innocence glowing on her hands as the barricades retracted into the floor. As Komui was about to get away, the Japanese male had already grabbed him by the collar, lifting him up easily.

"Well, _Supervisor_." The sarcasm was just dripping from the title. "The shorty and I need to have a little _'talk' _with you."

The male Exorcist led a scared Komui—who, by now, was already weeping in despair—back to his office, his female companion wordlessly following behind.

The moment the office door closed, a loud scream—followed by sounds of violence—could be heard for miles in the Black Order.

* * *

As Kanda left Komui's office, looking somewhat satisfied with what he did, an exasperated Lenalee was currently taking care of a howling Komui, who appreciated his little sister tending to him. Many of the Science Dept. was around, asking what happened. Rue, who had been acting like a bystander the whole time as she leaned against the office wall, still gave the Supervisor a very dark glare.

While she had her own share of violence, teaming up with Kanda and all, she was still feeling very unforgiving on what Komui did. Her right hand casually rested itself on a dagger's hilt, not to attack again, but it was more like feeling the instinct to prepare for something. At this moment, she felt really pitiless to her boss.

"I told you that when they found out, you were going to die." Lenalee sighed again as she handed over Blue Mountain coffee to her older brother to calm him down. "Reever and I said that two years ago, remember?"

"But, Lenalee—"

"Not buts! You already knew the consequences, but you still chose to ignore the warning signs!" To see Lenalee in the role reversal of an older sister was astounding to many, even to Rue. "Next time, you should ask for permission first or, at least, let people about this kind of thing ahead of time! As Supervisor, you should that better than anyone, big brother!"

"…Yes, Lenalee." A weak whimper came out from the older Lee sibling as he sipped his coffee. As his precious, younger sister, he definitely couldn't go against her.

"…I think I'll be out. I'm getting a headache. See you later to _most _of you; especially you, Lenalee." Rue finally spoke up, notifying the occupants curtly as she went out of the room, not once looking back.

"Ah, Rue—!" The older female tried to call her back, confused on why she had suddenly decided to leave, but it was unsuccessful.

_Well, I'm quite annoyed right now about this. Well, this is one of those times when I feel ashamed for having Sir Komui as my superior sometimes. _She rubbed her temples, a sharp pain stabbing her mind. _I think going somewhere else will do some good…_

* * *

Rue sat against the wall in some other part of the building, observing the forest outside with the night falling in. With her sketchbook in hand, this time, she was using oil pastels to draw out the scenery. Shades of greens colored the white of paper, the drawn twilight sky of the summer making it stand out more. Besides her was Marie, who she felt was the only one who capable of calming her down completely as she found that her headache lessened considerately.

"So, that's what happened!" Daisya, who was nearby, laughed out loud as Deja showed him the earlier events. "Man, no wonder you looked very mad when Marie and I found you here!"

"Of course I was." She answered coolly, a slab of red and orange marking the white. "And obviously, you should know Kanda's angry about this too."

"Well, why wouldn't he be?!" He laughed nervously this time, shivering a little from before when he received a glare from the eighteen-year-old in question, who was with them and currently sharpening Mugen. "He's still a bit pissed off. Although, I heard he's doing guard duty tonight."

"Ah, really? So, he'll be guarding the Order for tonight…"

"Ah, he's used to that kind of thing. Guess that's one of the things that give him stress relief, aside from meditating."

Kanda had no comment to this, still concentrating on sharpening his Innocence.

"Although… To take up guard duty must mean you need to be really strong. Of course, you can't be too sure on how strong intruders can be, especially if they're Akuma, so you have to keep your guard up constantly." She frowned in thought, dabbling a little more yellow and brown. "That's what makes it so dangerous, which is why it's best if two people are on guard together, so they could back each other up. But, I know Kanda's the type of person who prefers to work alone and he's strong as I've witnessed AND felt that first hand. Even so…"

She trailed off, uncertainty remaining. Hearing this got Daisya to look at her, surprise on his face. Marie, who was still besides her, gave her a questioning look. Kanda himself wasn't sure what to think of it, but he was trying to ignore the conversation. Even Deja, who had been flying around for some time, was so stunned at this that she/it almost crashed into one of the windows.

"…Why are you two looking at me like that?" Rue asked nonchalantly, confused and suspicious.

"I can't believe it!" Daisya yelled in surprise, a wide grin on his face. "You're actually worried about Kanda!"

"W-What!?" She shut her sketchbook abruptly, emotions erupting all at once: surprise, incredulity, and a strong sense of defiance. Kanda was sorely tempted to knock some sense into Daisya when he heard this, but he stayed quiet. A cold voice took over the female, trying to calm down the hot stubbornness that was ready to come out. "I am not. I am most certainly not!"

"Yes, you are!" The other howled, hooting as his "sister's" face was getting red. "Why else would you say something like that?!"

"I'm not concerned! He can take care of himself!" Her lips curved into a snarl, a sharp glare shot towards him. Then, she turned to Marie, a pleading look on her face. "Please, tell me you're not siding with Daisya. Really! I'm not worried about Kanda at all!"

"I don't know." The other replied innocently, a slight smile on his face. "But when you think about it, that's your own way of worrying for others, so…"

The statement he gave summed up her sentiments by the following: a frustrated groan, a furious headshake, and a hand slapping her forehead.

"Not you too, Marie!"

Then, she shot a glower to a grinning Deja, disgruntled that even her own golem was against her.

"Oh, don't worry, Deja. I'm not going to bother asking how you feel about this as I already know." She noted the grin, to which the golem made a sound, a loud gulp. Of course, the poor sentient device knew she/it was in for it later as these events were being recorded, like every other memory, as we speak.

After all of the racket, Kanda finally shouted as he was already at his limit, thinking all the while on how nonsensical this was.

"Tch, would you shut up about that?! I can take care of myself and I don't need the shorty to worry about me!"

"What he said!" The female agreed wholeheartedly, but they got promptly ignored.

"Now, admit it!" Daisya was very amused about this, pinching one of Rue's cheeks. "Admit that you're worried about Kanda!"

"For the last, damn time, I am not worried about Kanda at a—"

The conversation had been cut off by an extremely loud sound that could be heard all over the surrounding area of the Black Order.

"THIS GUY IS OUTTA HERE!!!"

* * *

"What's going on?!" Rue banged the office door open, walking in swiftly with Deja in tow to see many still in Komui's workplace, watching the TV as a golem was sent outside to give the visuals.

"Apparently, the Gatekeeper caught someone outside of HQ." Reever answered, watching from the couch. "You know how the Gatekeeper usually is, he usually scans those outside on whether they're human or Akuma. So, the poor soul outside has been accused as Akuma."

"Let me have a look."

Sitting next to the Squad Leader, Rue took a good look at the TV screen, observing cautiously. Outside was obviously the Gatekeeper, freaking out, but there was one other person around. A young man—who looked to be in his mid-teens—was there, oddly enough with white hair (as such a hair color would only be found on elderly people) and gray eyes. On his left eye was some sort of marking, a red pentacle, which could be easily mistaken as a tattoo. With him was a golden golem with wings and a tail, so different from the Black Order's golems and Deja.

"Eh…?" She blinked, looking at him with closer inspection. Currently, the poor male was scared out of his wits. "So, this is the person the Gatekeeper is kicking up a fuss about…"

"Although, the gold golem the boy has with him… That's a golem made by one of the Generals themselves. It was created by the one General who's been missing for quite some time, General Marian Cross."

"Ah… I see…"

"E-Eh?!" The boy wasn't sure what was going on, surprised and shocked that the Gatekeeper reacted like this.

And the Gatekeeper cried out with tears running down his face.

"This guy is a bug! The pentacle on his forehead's cursed! Out, out!!! The pentacle is the mark of an Akuma. This guy is actually… A friend of the Millennium Earl!"

"Wha-What?" The unfortunate guy was confused and stunned.

"WHAT?!" At this statement, the Science Dept. began to freak out.

"Intruder alert, intruder alert!" And the sirens went off all over the tower.

"Hey… Are the Exorcists in this building…?" Reever mumbled, unsure of what to make of this situation.

"They're all okay." A device responded, pointing to a map of the Black Order.

"Kanda is already here!" Lenalee cried out, seeing a silhouette contrasting against the bright moon, nose diving towards the supposed intruders.

On the platform of the gate, diving from above a high floor of the Black Order landed Kanda, both hands on Mugen's hilt and the sheath. From the looks of it, he was quite ready to fight. The lad looked apprehensive, unsure of how he got into this kind of predicament.

"You sure have courage, coming here alone…" Kanda spoke with a growl, a dark glare towards the boy below.

"Wa-Wait a moment!" The younger male held his hands up in surrender, trying to persuade the Japanese male otherwise. "I think you mistook me for some—"

The words had been cut off. Kanda had no patience as he swooped down and was about to assault the him. But when he did, the boy's left arm became silver and metallic, blocking Mugen's blow. However, blocking the slash out of reflex earned some damage on him.

Back in Komui's office, Rue was watching intently as did the others, amazed by that.

"That boy's arm…" She mumbled to herself, getting a closer look. "Could that be…?"

Though surprised, Kanda wouldn't dare show it, still holding Mugen in a stance.

"You… What's with that arm?"

"…This is an anti-Akuma weapon." The younger teen spoke frankly, gray eyes showing honesty. "I am an Exorcist."

"What?"

At first, the older male was confused when he said that. But when it finally came through to him, he suddenly became very angry at the Gatekeeper for making a mistake, turning around to yell at him.

"GATEKEEPER!!!"

"But, well," The talking gate sputtered nervously, trying to find a logical explanation. "If I can't determine his insides, how can we know for sure?! What if he really is an Akuma?!"

The young man protested as he heard this, quite angry as he pounded his fists on the gate, "I'm a human! Well, to tell you the truth, I'm a tiny bit cursed. But, I'm still a nice human!"

"GYAAAAAAH!!! DON'T TOUCH ME!!!"

"Hrmph. Well, whatever." Kanda mumbled, holding up Mugen's blade with his left hand; then, holding the sword's hilt with his right and arching it back, his left arm forming some sort of defensive stance. "If I check your insides, we'll know for sure!"

Mugen started to glow its ominous aura, a signal that it was activated.

"I shall slice you with Mugen."

He lunged towards the other person, ready to slam a powerful blow.

_Kanda…! _Rue was screaming this internally, horrified that her teammate wasn't hesitating to kill him. _Are you really going to…?! _

"Wait! Really, wait!" The self-claimed Exorcist cried out, his left hand—now red and deformed—held up to stop him; like that would do anything, really. "I'm not your enemy. You should've gotten a recommendation letter from General Cross!"

Instantly, Kanda stopped his attack, the tip of Mugen dangerously close to the boy's eyes. They stayed in awkward positions; Kanda holding back his sword with both hands and his feet lunged forward, really poised to strike the boy down, as the boy himself had his back against another part of the gate, his knees bent and his whole body shaking in fear.

"A letter of recommendation… From the General…?"

"Yes, a letter… Addressed to a person named Komui."

This was said as Komui was wiping his mouth as he spat out his coffee earlier when the Gatekeeper declared earlier on the boy possibly being an Akuma. And when this was heard by everyone in the room (all of the Science Dept., Lenalee, Squad Leader Reever, and Rue), all had eyes on him and he stopped wiping off the brown liquid.

"You there!" Komui suddenly declared to a random Science Dept. member.

"Y-Yes?"

"Search my desk!" And so, the Supervisor pointed to his usual, messy desk; a lot of paperwork was piled everywhere and one could see a cobweb or two forming.

"Tha… That…"

All of the occupants weren't sure what to think of him as they stared at him in disbelief.

"Big brother Komui…" Lenalee mumbled incredulously, giving him a reprimanding look.

"Supervisor Komui…" Reever growled at him, appalled on how lazy his leader is.

"Sir Komui…" Even Rue had nothing to say, her palm meeting her face. Perhaps, she was embarrassed yet again towards the Supervisor.

"I'll help too!" Komui suddenly said, running over to his untidy table, not liking the looks he was getting because of his slothfulness. Once the letter was found under the cluttered pile, he asked the same member to read it.

"'To Komui: I will be sending a kid named Allen over there. Thanks. From Cross.'"

"Right! So, it's true." The Supervisor clarified with a gleam in his eyes, going elsewhere in the room to get another cup of coffee. "Squad Leader Reever, stop Kanda!"

"Clean your desk once in a while!" Reever snarled at him, clearly giving a lecture to the lazy Supervisor on his tidiness as he scurried off to do as he told. Rue, feeling like she should do something about this as Kanda was her teammate, hurried off after Reever. As usual, Deja followed her/its mistress, wanting to get the scoop about this.

"Lenalee." The older Lee sibling called his younger sister, a smile on his face as he grabbed the coffee pot to pour himself another cup. "Help me set up. A new member has arrived."

"O-Open the gate?!" The Gatekeeper couldn't have felt any more nervous t than this, letting Allen walk into Black Order HQ.

"A boy sent by Cross, huh…" Komui murmured to himself, a smirk on his face. "I'll have some fun judging him~"

* * *

Hitomi: Done!

XD I bet you all of you were thinking something serious happened in the beginning of this chapter. But nope! Everyone in the Black Order is watching Kanda and Rue fight, making bets on who'll win. And yet, it ends up being another draw! *cracks up* And yeah, as you can see, Edina is alive and well. She wasn't around these last couple of chapters since she was into a coma as Armando said. Lord, why I made this kind of character, I don't know… But, Edina is the type to have a bad attitude like that. And nope, she doesn't know Rue's female whereas Armando knew the whole time (how, I've yet to say).

Rue's fifteen now, her height and weight having changed… And Deja is still around. And her Innocence synchronization now is 86%. I'd say that's a decent amount, given on how harsh Kanda is with his training. But, I'm laughing on how Komui observes that Rue is a little more… Perhaps, quiet than usual. Well, Lavi hasn't been around, so she does miss him, whether she likes admitting it or not.

Even Daisya and Lenalee sensed this (though Lenalee was respectful enough not to pry on Rue's thoughts). XD And chaos finally breaks out when Lenalee reveals it's her brother who set Rue up to be in the General Tiedoll unit to make Kanda and her get along. *grins* The fact she threatens said-teammate by permanently calling him by THAT NAME got him up in a jiffy. And off they went to kill Komui and Komurin III (if you're wondering how I and II got destroyed – Kanda destroyed I and Lavi and Rue destroyed II).

And now, you see the embarrassed Rue when it comes to Komui (and Kanda). Because of Komui being like that sometimes is why Rue is baffled that he's her Supervisor. XD And whether she wants to admit it or not, she IS worried about Kanda when she says that – at least, to a certain degree.

And now, Allen and Timcampy finally arrive! *smiles* Finally, I wanted them to be around. Obviously, I derived this scene from the manga. XD And once again, Rue's embarrassed to have Komui as her Supervisor because of that scenario with his messy desk and finding Cross's letter. I've a feeling that, by next chapter, Rue will probably be chastising Kanda because of him about to kill the poor boy. Let's see how Allen and Rue will get along, though.

Next chapter… Let's see what it'll be about! Thank you for reading~


	22. From One to Another

Hitomi: Whoa! *dies* Where the Hell did all of these reviews come from?! Normally, I'd know how much I usually get, but this was quite unexpected. Wow… Thank you, guys… And as usual, aside from reviews, I thank you for the favorites and alerts too!

That Reminiscent Sky – I already see how Allen and Rue's relationship is going to be like. It may be awkward at first, but I can picture them having a sibling bond somewhere down the road (XD it's like the complete opposite when comparing on how Rue gets along with Kanda). I wanted to start last chapter's beginning with a brawl between Kanda and Rue (XD besides, I always wanted to write on how everyone was going to bet on the fights)… And so, it ends in a draw. *nods* Which is fair since Kanda's very strong.

rmiller92 – Yep! It was about time those two finally arrived. I was starting to miss them, anyway. Even though Allen and Rue have opposite personalities, I'm sure they'll be able to get along. At least Rue's a little sociable unlike a certain teammate of hers. *coughs*

Kevin-niichan – To be honest, I was surprised of the fast update myself. Normally, it takes me about four to five days to finish writing a chapter; sometimes, it takes a bit longer if I'm too busy with schoolwork. The fact that I finished last chapter in about three days' time was astounding (I'd also say it's a new record in all of the times I've written long stuff like chapters and you know that better than anyone else, niichan, since you're the one I always shared my writing with [after all, remember the times we talked on AIM!]); perhaps, it was because I was pretty excited for Allen to make his appearance and quite motivated to get the timeskip rolling in. After all, this was what I anticipated most when writing Unravel.

Really? I'm glad and very relieved to hear that her Innocence synchronization rate is reasonable. Well, given that she's been trained by Kanda for two years (and still continuing to maintain it), I wanted her hard work to pay off. Plus, there's the fact she has other powers in her Innocence to unlock as she has more emotions to learn. Of course I needed to put a flaw when it comes to her and close combat (be it dagger or fist) – when doing such a fighting style, it'll leave her vulnerable and open for incoming attacks (after all, I've already seen it through other instances, be it in real life or otherwise; one remarkable example would be Tifa's fight in FFVII: AC, never mind the fact FFVII—and probably FF in general—would sometimes bend the laws of physics). So, I'll always keep this in mind.

Hehe, I'm happy Allen's finally in this. *nods* I know that Rue wouldn't be able to prevent what has occurred in canon!DGM as much as she'd probably want to. Besides, if she were to stop all of canon!DGM's tragedies that have been around; then, she'd be marked as a definite Sue. ^_~ Of course, we both know Rue caught Lavi's eye – the only unspoken question on the whole thing is who falls in love with who first. I know she'll help in the major events, but not to the point of stopping what's inevitable (as you pointed out, like Daisya's death, which is a perfect example). Speaking of Daisya's death… I do plan for Rue to go with her unit to search for General Tiedoll in Barcelona and once Daisya dies… Rue's not going to take it well at all once she finds out.

5FIVES – ^_~ Looks like everyone's happy to see Allen and Timcampy around. XD Of course, I am too, there's no denying that (explaining my fast update of last chapter, apparently). So, I'm anticipating on Rue meeting Allen too as I already know they'll have a close relationship later on. And no worries, I shall update!

espeon16 – Yep, Allen's officially in!

Gin-Nee – Hello to you too! *waves back* Welcome to the DGM fandom, then! You know, to be truthful, I tried to make the summary as interesting as possible, even though I had difficulty thinking up of one (really, thinking on how Rue's character was, that was the only way to sum up her arrival in the Black Order). Whoa, you read my story in about two hours' time?! XD You're the second person who's read my writing in such a short period (the other person read it in two days), so hearing that makes me happy because it shows on how interesting the story is to other people (as said countless times before, I didn't expect this story to be popular and I was afraid people may've found it boring). I'm glad that you found my writing good (though I already know I still have a long way to go – after all, I never claimed myself as perfect, be it in writing or otherwise).

*smiles* Also, thanks for telling me Rue's not a Mary Sue as I've worked hard on not making her as one. Awesome story, really? You're giving me too much credit here! But, thank you again and, as you can obviously see, Chapter 22 is on the way! As far as I'm planning on when Lavi appears in Unravel again, it looks like Rue won't see him again until Allen and Lenalee do. *grins* Of course, I already know how Lavi and Rue's reunion is going to turn out as it's been a year since they last saw each other. And I noticed that too in Sues as well – the story revolves around them and barely, if any, canon characters are present. Probably the only characters that are around when it comes to Sues are the love interest (if you can ever call the canon characters they're paired up with that as when it comes to Sues and canon love interests, they "fall in love" when they barely know each other) and ones that are convenient enough to make so-called "drama" (another canon character that's also in love with said-Sue; therefore, it's a love triangle; or another canon character (usually, the main female protagonist when it comes to female Sues) that has been twisted and warped into a bitch that hates the Sue because she's jealous).

*facepalms as she had gone into a Mary Sue tirade again and is really apologizing for it*

As you can see, I'm putting family and friendship in here too, and this is about Rue changing when she's in the Black Order, so—aside from the obvious reason that is plot—it's also why I want to incorporate as many of the canon characters as much as possible. Besides, there have been underappreciated characters (i.e. Daisya, Marie, General Tiedoll, Jerry; of course, this is naming a few of them) I wanted to see more in DGM fanfics, so I wanted to give them a role here.

It'sDarkInHere – Hehe, as I said, I got too motivated for last chapter to get it done as fast as possible. So, it's like this~ Yep, Allen and Timcampy are in! So, I hope Rue and Allen will get along… Of course, I know they'll have a good relationship unlike Rue and Kanda… *cough*

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

* * *

**Unravel**

**XXII**

**From One to Another**

[_What's this? There's a new person in the Black Order?_

_I wonder if this is my chance…_

_A chance to show that I've changed, even just a little bit…_

_Because I want to try making a friend._]

* * *

The moment the gate opened, this had sent all sorts of sentiments to many. Komui had welcomed Allen Walker, knowing that it was true that he was General Cross's apprentice; Reever, having been dragged with the Supervisor, was quite annoyed as it really did sound like that the Squad Leader was being blamed for the earlier chaos concerning Allen. Kanda looked cautious and incensed himself, wanting to kill the younger boy right on the spot as he was still convinced about the assumption of him being an Akuma; of course, Mugen didn't have a chance to do its job as Lenalee, who appeared moments later, had hit her childhood friend with a clipboard and told him and the new Exorcist to enter HQ already or she would close the gate.

As for Rue herself, she was nearby and quietly stood in her spot. She wasn't sure on what to think or feel; all she knew was that this was a new Exorcist and she should try to make herself look helpful. At the very least, having spent two years in the Black Order, she wanted to be seen as approachable. After all, as the majority still kept a safe distance from her, she still wanted to make efforts. On what, she didn't know at all. Perhaps, she felt that she should try to make a new friend on her own.

_But, I don't know. _Rue thought nervously, shifting her weight uncomfortably. _I never was too good in socializing with others, so I wonder if this is okay. Really, for all I know, I may leave a wrong impression again._

_"Rue, it's okay, don't be discouraged. I know that you can do it. Besides, I told you to have fun, right?" _The words of Daisya echoed in her thoughts, the heavy uneasiness she felt before now light on her shoulders. If he was right by her side at the moment, he'd probably try to gently coax her on befriending Allen and that there was nothing to be afraid of.

She found Lenalee, Kanda, and Allen moments later, moving forward as casually as possible.

"Oy, Kanda." Rue called out coolly to her rival, a slight glare on her face. "You shouldn't have done that. Honestly, would you really go that far, on the ready to kill someone young?"

"Tch," Kanda replied to her, annoyed by this. "What? Are you telling me that you wouldn't do the same thing if you were out there, shorty?"

She twitched at the nickname she was stuck with, but she still continued on.

"I admit that I would; however, the boy told the truth, right? The letter from General Cross is also proof of that. But, you still insisted on cutting him open with Mugen, even though there was already enough evidence that the boy wasn't lying!"

He only glowered at her as if telling her to shut up. However, it intensified the fierce look she was already sending him. The bystanders, Allen and Lenalee, could practically see the sparks in their heated, glaring contest. Still tired from an earlier task, Kanda turned away from his teammate to head back inside.

"Oh, Kanda."

Kanda gave a glare to Allen when he called him, really wanting to get out as soon as possible.

"…That was your name, right…?" He questioned hesitantly, unsure on how to approach him. But, he was still trying to be friendly, smiling as he extended his right hand. "Nice to meet you."

The older male looked at him, scrutinizing him with that glower. Then, he turned away again to go elsewhere, saying coldly, "Who the Hell would want to shake hands with a cursed person?"

This left quite a shock to the younger boy, a sigh from the tomboy, and a nervous smile from the Supervisor's assistant.

"Don't mind him," Lenalee tried to reassure Allen when she saw the dejected look on his face. "He just got back from a mission and he's a bit tired."

Rue only nodded in silent agreement, knowing this was true since he was meditating earlier, unsure on what to say.

"Was that why you were down here, Rue? You know, to find Kanda and all."

"Well…" She coughed lightly, trying to answer her best friend properly. "I was watching from Sir Komui's office, remember? So, I went with Reever to stop Kanda. I felt rather appalled when seeing that Kanda still wanted to kill the new Exorcist off on the possibility of him being an Akuma in disguise."

She shot a look to the gray golem above her, sighing lightly.

"And Deja here was recording what went on, so it's not like I could stop her."

With a nervous smile of her/its own, Deja settled onto Rue's head as if going into hiding.

"But yeah, needed to give that idiot a piece of my mind, even though I know I'll get punished for it in training." She sighed, rubbing her temples as she turned away from them.

"Oh…" She stopped in her tracks, facing a reluctant Allen.

"Yes?" She looked at him, feeling a bit hesitant herself.

"You're an Exorcist too, right? My name's Allen Walker, nice to meet you." He held out his right hand again, looking a bit nervous; perhaps, he thought Rue was just like Kanda.

Of course, Rue couldn't say no to this; after all, she sensed a positive aura from the boy. And besides, it didn't matter if people were cursed or not; all the same, she accepted them without judgment. With a curt nod, she took his hand and shook it, which made Lenalee surprised but happy.

"Rue, Rue Marucut. Nice to meet you too, Allen."

"Hehe, I guess you were also down here because you also wanted to welcome Allen to the Black Order, huh, Rue?"

And the tomboy cursed silently, feeling that her best friend saw right through her motives as a faint shade of red colored her face. The other female, amused of this reaction, gave the bashful girl a big hug.

"So, Rue is nice, after all!"

"Lenalee, please keep quiet about it! I'm feeling embarrassed now!"

With a laugh, Lenalee took Rue's hand and beckoned Allen to come with them, so she could give him the tour of the Black Order.

* * *

_To tell you the truth, my day seemed to have gone well. Oh sure, there's the usual, training with Kanda and all… As much as I was annoyed, I was faintly amused as, like always, people kept betting on our fights since last year. But, you know how it is: the matches often end up in a draw and everyone's frustrated as Hell. Very funny if you watch how the people react to such news._

_ Also… I got my Innocence synchronization checkup today. Having not stepped in that chamber for two years, I felt ready to hear the news. Helvaska told Sir Komui and I that I've gotten up to 86%. It's not too bad, right? That's pretty much a vast improvement because of two years of training with Kanda. I know I may've pushed myself too much, but it's better to try too hard than not try at all, right? If you were here, I already know that you'd be proud of me when you hear the news yourself._

_ Sir Komui finally got what he deserved. I found out through Lenalee that he was the reason why I was in General Tiedoll's team. The original objective, though, was to make Kanda and I get along. So, you should've seen Kanda and I chasing him down, it felt really exhilarating to do that. When we caught him, we basically gave him Hell for it._

_Tonight, a new Exorcist entered the Black Order. His name is Allen Walker and, from what information I can gather, he's the apprentice of the missing Exorcist, General Cross. He's fifteen-years-old and has white hair, which I find odd, while his eyes are gray; by the way, his left eye holds a strange marking on it. It's a red pentagram that runs down his left eye. Not sure why it's there, but it's yet to be revealed. Also, he has his own golem (which was made by General Cross) named Timcampy._

_ From what type of Innocence he holds… According to Sir Komui, he's a Parasite Type, which is considered the rarest Innocence type. Poor Allen, though. I think he got traumatized when Sir Komui was repairing his left arm—his Innocence—since Kanda attacked him earlier. I've a feeling that he got startled by Helvaska as well since I know his Innocence synchronization rate got checked out, being a new Exorcist and all. And, of course, the prophecy he'll get from her. I wonder what kind of prophecy he got._

_ I think… I think my first meeting with him was all right. He seems to be a nice boy, shy but polite. But, I guess that only scratches the surface; after all, I can't analyze people all that well. Something tells me that there's more to this boy than meets the eye, but I'm still unsure of my intuition. Though… Heh, I guess I must sound pretty awkward, eh? Well, you already know me, not used to interacting with others so much. Knowing you, you'll probably poke fun at me to make me feel better right now._

_ How are you doing, though? I hope you're doing all right as always. I hope the long term mission is going well… And I also hope you're not stressing out on Bookman duties. You better be getting enough sleep as well as eating enough to sustain your health. Although I'm not worried about you when it comes to Akuma since that giant hammer of yours can knock them out in no time flat._

In her room, Rue sighed quietly, tapping her pen impatiently as she tried to think of more to write. In the other hand was the exchange diary, which she kept with her at all times. Ever since Lavi left, the female continued to scribble journal entries in the book. Big things, small things, good things, bad things… She wrote all kinds of things. Having written in that book since he left, he had a lot of catching up to do once he would come back.

_Hm, what else do I write? _She sighed again, tapping her pen in thought as she looked up at the ceiling. Deja looked a little worried, having heard Rue making that sound again. Flying over to the top of her head, she/it scanned the page. With a frown, she/it glanced over to her/its mistress, a stubby leg poking her cheek.

"Eh? What, Deja?"

The golem gave her a look, one that looked shrewd and scrutinizing. Seeing this, red colored her face she abruptly looked away, perhaps knowing what the sentient device was implying.

"Like I'll write about that!"

She/It only grinned innocently, though one could see hinted slyness. This was the reaction she/it expected the female to have.

"No… I am not going to write about that!" She growled stubbornly at the gadget, cheeks scarlet. "If I write that kind of thing, I don't think I could ever face him again! You can't make me, Deja, you can't!"

The expression never changed. It was egging her on as if telling her, "You know you want to!"

Rue finally let out another noisy exhale; annoyed and accepting, knowing fully well she was going to curse herself later for writing such a thing.

"Fine…" She muttered sullenly, giving a glare to the gray machine. "But, you owe me for making me write this honestly."

She/It only nodded with a wide grin, poking insistently at her cheek again as if nagging her. Ignoring the jabs, through grunting with mild annoyance, she continued to scribble onto the paper.

_Today, I had a talk with Daisya to understand the feeling of loneliness more. Normally, General Tiedoll would be able to explain it to me, but he's been gone from the Black Order recently, traveling the world to find new Exorcists. I already know what loneliness is, but I just wanted to know why people feel it. As we know, loneliness is when you feel alone. He told me it can be felt when you're around people or when you're not around them. It can also be felt when you start to miss someone since you haven't seen them for so long._

_ Heh… I feel foolish, knowing I'll feel so embarrassed by the time I'm done writing this. But… _

_ Even as I continue doing my Exorcist duties and busying myself with other things… It really is quiet without you here because you tend to make a lot of noise. It feels strange, not having you around in the library studying or in the cafeteria and eating… And, of course, you teasing and pranking everyone to no end._

_ Lavi… I… I miss you…_

* * *

The next morning…

*RING!!!*

Sitting up at once on the bed, a sleepy face suddenly had a cold look to it. She faced the window, seeing that the sun had barely risen up; a sign that told her that it was the crack of dawn, an ungodly time in the morning. Next, looking up slowly, she found a familiar, round bell floating near the ceiling – sure enough, the Charity Bell, which only meant one thing. Her expression turned sharp as she got a quick look to the doorway, seeing a familiar, grinning face.

Without thinking of anything else, she already started off to a sprint with her daggers out, a murderous, killing aura surrounding her. As usual, her golem followed her.

"DAISYA!!!"

"It always looks like I'm asking for it every time I wake her up like this, doesn't it? Oh crap!" Daisya cried out, making a run for it, noting that it was a narrow miss as one of her daggers grazed his cheek.

"Daisya, I told you not to wake me up at a time like this, but I guess you really don't listen, after all!" Rue snarled vehemently, not liking the fact her sleep got disturbed again. "Do you really want to die?!"

"Not particularly, eheh. It's just fun to do this to you, honestly!"

"Then, you better run fast because your life's on the line right about now!"

Hearing this made him grin widely, the chase at 6 AM continued on.

As Allen got out of his room, having exercised since early in the morning, he felt a strong breeze rush past him as he saw the two running about: laughing from the male and a string of muttered curses from the crossdressing female.

"This looks like the start of a lively morning, doesn't it?" He mumbled to no one in particular.

* * *

"Stupid Daisya waking me up so early! When I get my hands on him later…" About an hour or so later, Rue growled and muttered threats grumpily, busy helping Jerry cooking breakfast for the early birds in the Black Order.

The cook grinned at this while serving dishes, trying to cheer the tomboy up, "Come on, Rue~ He's only doing that because he loves you! After all, you guys are like siblings, so it's no surprise he's like that."

"Still!" She furiously chopped scallions on the cooking board, each cut intense than the last, as she swept away the pieces into the broth that was cooking in a nearby pot. Deja, knowing how she was like when wielding such things, hid in her coat pocket out of fear. "I really don't like it when people disturb me from sleeping…"

"Well, I already know Komui and Lavi wouldn't dare do that without caution, as we both know." Jerry replied amusedly, grinning still as he served a tray of jambalaya to one of the customers waiting in line.

At the mention of the Bookman apprentice, Rue's face grew hot. Hoping he didn't notice this, she went back to busying herself cooking. However, the thought of him caused her to be clumsy in her actions, tossing a bowl of hot porridge out of the counter as it flew a good distance away. She didn't know where it landed, but she could hear faint cursing somewhere from the other side of the room.

However, Rue heard another sort of commotion in the canteen. Peeking one eye from the counter, it widened when she saw that one of the Finders and Kanda were into a dispute; from the way it was going, it would escalate to a scuffle. She groaned inwardly, shaking her head as she excused herself out the kitchen, deciding to interfere before it got really ugly.

"Oy, Kanda—" As she was about to play the role of peacemaker, it surprised her when she found Allen there, his left hand grabbing Kanda's wrist to stop him from squeezing the neck of the Finder he was quarreling with. The older boy's hand was still wrapped around the neck, though his hold was a bit looser now.

"Stop it." Allen said seriously, a disapproving frown on his face. "I'm sorry to interrupt you when I have nothing to do with this, but I don't think this is a good way of resolving things."

With a glare, he finally responded with, "…Back off, beansprout."

Rue groaned again, her hand to her face as she was still watching all of this from a distance that was within earshot.

_And yet another person to poke fun at with height… _

"I'm Allen!" He protested, annoyed of the fact that he had been called short.

"Heh, if you don't die within the next month, I'll remember your name." There was a hint of a cold smirk on Kanda's face, still intending to choke Buzz. "There are many that die here like these guys."

At this, Allen's left hand tightened its already firm grip on the other boy's wrist – it must've had such strength as Kanda had released his hold on the unconscious Finder.

"As I said, that's not a good thing to say." A glare began to form on the younger male's face. There was something familiar about it and the female Exorcist knew why: it was because she, herself, gave Kanda such a look too a long time ago; thus, officially establishing their rivalry.

Now, it was apparent that Allen Walker and Kanda Yuu were rivals too.

"You're gonna die soon…" Kanda growled lowly, his dark eyes steely with hostility. "I hate your type."

"Well, thank you." A venomous voice escaped from Allen's lips, sending a cold glare to the older boy.

"Oh, there he is!" Reever mumbled to himself as he was carrying books, passing by the cafeteria, Lenalee accompanying him.

"Allen! Kanda!" He called their attention, breaking them out of their glowering contest. "Eat your food in ten minutes and come to the command post. You've got a mission. And Rue!"

"Y-Yes?" Rue was fully attentive; her dazed look now serious as she was ignoring the looks given by the two males. When hearing her being called, Kanda and Allen were surprised since they didn't notice she was witnessing their fight all along.

"You come too. You also have a mission."

* * *

After waking up Komui in the only way Reever and Rue knew how to, the Supervisor began to speak what the Exorcists came in his office for.

"All right, we don't have much time, so after you hear the summary, move out. If you want more detailed info, just read this while you head to your destination." Komui instructed them, giving the briefs to both Allen and Kanda.

As the two males read the files, they gave each other surprised looks, perhaps knowing now that they were given the same information.

"You two will go as partners." The Supervisor continued on, looking to be amused as the two males gave him horrified looks, a hint of a sadistic grin on his face. "Errr, what? You already aren't getting along?"

Rue only sighed at this, as if giving a confirmation of that being a solid fact.

"But, no excuses." He spoke sternly, pulling down a map. "We've found Innocence in Southern Italy, but it may get taken by an Akuma. Your job is to destroy the enemy and secure the Innocence."

"Good luck, Allen." Rue said curtly.

"E-Eh?" Not expecting this, he paid attention to her, a small smile on his face. "Thank you, Rue."

Now, she turned to Kanda, a stern look on her face. "And Kanda, don't give him a hard time, all right?"

"Che, like I'll listen to you, shorty." He sent her a cold glower like he always did.

"Don't start, _Yuuri_." She hissed out, receiving a grin from Komui, suppressed snickering from Lenalee, and bewildered looks from Allen and Reever. His glower sharpened to a murderous one, his face faintly pink.

And with that, the two boys grudgingly left the office, heading down to the underground water path of the Black Order to depart after they were done preparing themselves. When they had gone, Komui turned to Rue.

"Sir." She acknowledged seriously, a crisp salute to her forehead.

"As for you, Rue… You'll be heading to Valencia, Spain. They say there's Innocence around, but Akuma could be causing the abnormality too. "

Hearing this made her stomach lurch, but Rue made sure to keep her face impassive. However, second thoughts and dark memories began to linger at the back of her mind, having haunted her for so long already.

"Am I… Going alone?" Rue finally asked after a moment of silent hesitation, licking her lower lip—and the piercing there—in apprehension.

"Hm?" When Lenalee heard this, a concerned frown appeared on her face, perhaps knowing what her best friend was thinking about right now since she knew about her past. "You don't want to go alone?"

She shook her head slowly.

"Eh?" Reever was taken aback when hearing this, looking from Rue to Lenalee as if to ask what was going on. The Chinese female just shook her head, not revealing Rue's secret until Rue herself was ready to say it.

"Then, I'll come along."

All four occupants looked to see Daisya at the doorway, a small smile on his face. Whether he knew of Rue's past or not, neither of the Lee siblings knew. But, it seemed that he sensed his female teammate's unease or he ended up overhearing the discussion; either way, the expression on the Turk male's face told them that he sensed something wrong with Rue.

"Daisya…" Rue mumbled softly, averting her gaze from him, looking uncertain.

"It's all right, Rue." He reassured her gently, messing up her hair. "Marie already left on a mission and General Tiedoll still isn't around. I know Lenalee's busy with her own duties (be it Exorcist missions or being Komui's assistant), the new Exorcist and Kanda are preparing to leave as well, and… Lavi still hasn't come back from the long term mission in Ireland yet. So… I'll come with you."

_Daisya… _She thought with relief, gratitude, and being slightly moved by this. _Thank you._

_

* * *

_

Hitomi: Done again~

I guess this chapter seems short to some people, eh? And I'm sorry for taking long as school has really been going hectic on me and all. So, I'm glad I finally got time to finish typing this chapter.

From what you can see, Allen and Rue's meeting is a bit awkward. But, I can still see them getting along. Ehehe, I guess she really wanted to make herself useful to him as he's new to the Order and all. But, I still kept it in DGM!canon with the manga and such.

Looks like Rue's beginning to really feel loneliness without Lavi around. XD To think she'd fight with Deja about her being honest about it in the exchange diary… Something I wanted to write about, hehe. *snickers* To think her golem would do such an interrogation… I'm amused at the mental image of it.

XD And then, we see Daisya waking her up with the Charity Bell at six in the morning. Bad, bad Daisya!

Yep, I made Rue go into the kitchen at the time when Allen and Kanda had their first fight together. So, it would make it easier for her to see what'll go on. *nods* Again, I kept it in canon with Kanda fighting with the Finders and Allen stopping him. AHAHA, looks like Allen and Rue can relate to something, though: their rivalry towards Kanda AND Kanda making fun of them being short.

Oh, Kaaandaaaa~ You're going to pay for that real soon!

Heh, you thought Rue would be paired up with Kanda and Allen on the Italy mission, right? Nope, I have other plans for her as you can see. Since her past had been revealed in Chapter 16, I plan to make her face it. I thought of pairing her with Lenalee for the mission since Lenalee was the first one to know of her past in full detail, but… My mind seemed to have been made up on Daisya for some reason.

I guess it's because I want him to be provided more of a role before… You know… *sniff* His death.

Whether he knows of Rue's past or not, I've to think about it since, as far as the General Tiedoll unit is concerned, Kanda still doesn't know of her past. General Tiedoll would most likely know through Komui. And Marie, I've yet to work on that too.

But, to be truthful, there's something about Daisya and Rue that I sort of been conflicting on for a while… Still working on the idea, though, since it may cause some problems.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, though.


	23. Shades of Gray

Hitomi: I swear, this has been getting popular lately… XD Like I said, I still find it hard to believe people like this story. But really… Thank you so much for the support! Not only for your feedback, but for the favorites and alerts too! You guys are the reason why I keep writing this story and why I refuse to give up on it~

Gin-Nee – XD You remind me of one other reviewer (who is a friend of mine too) who would sign in anonymously when she was lazy to log in too. Really? Thank you! I know it may've been somewhat of a short chapter, but thank you. Yep, I intend to follow the manga/anime storyline, though I still want Rue to take part of some things. And again, thank you for saying she isn't a Sue too. Ah, it's fine, you can call me Angel. Though, I've a feeling I'll change this penname as I've had it when I first joined FF . net a long time ago (I'm still thinking about it).

*cries* Yep, school's driving me crazy too. Let's hope we don't lose our sanity.

Kevin-niichan – Yep, I want to contain the canon events in DGM, though we both know Rue will take a part of it too at some point. *nods* Of course, as you said, the intention is to have Rue be a valid OC. It would be amusing to see how the funny parts in DGM will be represented (for example, the Komurin incident and Lenalee ending up saving the day). From what I know of Rue joining Allen, I'm planning for her to go with him and Lavi in Krory's arc (and trust me, there's a plan I have on that, concerning Rue and Eliade…); after that, she'll be sent with the Tiedoll unit to look for General Tiedoll in Barcelona. But yeah, I know she won't be paired with Allen every time she'll go on missions (that'll be Sueism for sure since she could get really powerful that way), so I intend to stick her with Daisya, Marie, and others. *laughs* And the slightly-off wording still remains, I'm sorry about that! But, I'm glad that it doesn't affect the flow of the story. I'll keep working hard, thanks, and you be safe too, niichan.

That Reminiscent Sky – Well, I did want to give Daisya (the same applies to Kanda and Marie) more of a brotherly role to Rue, so I had him in mind to work with her on the mission (that and, as said before, I want to give him more of a role before he dies). But yeah, as much as he's noisy and arrogant, I wanted to have Daisya's character defined as a reliable, caring brother. XD Yep, stubborn Rue admitted her feelings that she misses Lavi (oh man, to see Lavi's reaction when reading that journal entry…). Hmmm, this is the troubling part, what to write the chapter about. I want to write about the Allen/Kanda mission to keep things in canon, but people already know what happens (which makes me consider on not writing it at all). On the other hand, as for the Daisya/Rue mission, I would write the chapter about that, but… *sighs* You know how it is, people will think Rue is a Sue because of hogging the spotlight, blah blah blah, the usual.

So, I might as well write about both missions, even though that'll be difficult to do.

And sorry for not having talked to you on MSN (XD well, that is, until recently). School's been driving me crazy and all of that.

Soulless Ghosty – No, it's fine! Heh, I would've made the same mistake too, so it's okay if you didn't review the last chapter. Anyway, I know Allen cares about both humans and Akuma… Being the way he is as the leading male of DGM, it's no surprise he's like that. And because of his personality, from what I can remember (need to read DGM again), he doesn't like killing both humans and Akuma. It's a good question on how he'll react when he finds out about Rue's past. I know he won't take it well, but I'm still trying to run such a scenario through my head, so I can try to see how I'll write about that. Or, Hell, don't have him find out about her past until way later (seeing that the only people in the Black Order who truly know about her past are Komui, General Tiedoll, Lenalee, and Lavi). Or maybe don't have him find out about it at all, I don't know. After all, not even the Tiedoll unit (AKA Daisya, Marie, and Kanda) don't know of Rue's past themselves despite their bond (looks like Daisya will be the first to know, though, since he's on the mission with her going back to Spain – where her assassin training all started). Rue's still in contact with Riley, she has Finder Armando to deliver the letters in secret because Komui made a rule about keeping in contact with your loved ones outside the Order being forbidden (the last time I mentioned her sending out a letter to him was Chapter 18). But, you know what? The suggestion you gave me in your review was also an idea I had in my head for quite some time, so it's about time I used it. Thanks for reminding me about it, I'll use it soon! And Merry Christmas to you too!

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

* * *

**Unravel**

**XXIII**

**Shades of Gray**

[_The past shapes us into who we are now._

_Whether it's the untouched white of the innocence and peaceful contentment_

_Or the stained, dark side of our struggles and shortcomings,_

_It cannot be denied that memories and experience make an impact on us._]

* * *

_"Do you want to take a trip to the Philippines again? It really is a beautiful place…"_

_ "Ah, Rue! What are you doing?! Get down from that tree, Daddy's getting worried!"_

_ "Wah, Rue! Don't pick fights with your brother again!"_

_ "One day, you'll grow into a beautiful and strong woman."_

_ "There you are, Rue, been looking all over for you! Here, I got you sweets while I was out with my friends. See? I didn't forget about you because you're my sister."_

_ Fragments of memories, memories that cannot be remembered, they floated around in the abyss that is her mind. Only in her dreams was when she could reminiscence on the life she didn't know she had. This was the life she had lived before becoming…_

_ Then, the warmth changed to that chilling atmosphere. And so, the white shards suddenly turn black…_

"_Waaaaaah! Big brother, little sister! Please, not you too… Don't… Don't leave me alone…! Daddy and Mommy are already gone; I can't lose you too because you two are the only family I have left…! Let me go, let me stay with them!"_

_ "You'll be staying here because this will be your new home now. But just because we adopted you doesn't mean you'll live here for free. In exchange of being cared for and sheltered, you'll be doing work around here. From here on out, you will learn the killing arts of assassination."_

_ "Stop crying, you worthless nothing! If you don't, you'll get more whip lashings! How many times do I have to tell you not to show emotions the moment you've begun living here?!"_

_ "My name is Rafale and I am an assassin."_

* * *

Bright afternoon sunlight burned her retinas the moment her wide eyes shot open, beads of cold perspiration running down the sides of her face. With a loud gasp, her body jolted in her seat with alertness, a hand instinctively on a dagger.

"Whoa!" From her right at the corner of her eye, Daisya was also startled with her being like that, alarm and shock in his voice. "Rue?!"

Breathing raggedly, she shook her head slowly as if trying to forget what she remembered, slowly slipping her grip off of the hilt. She remembered that she was on a mission, in a train that was traveling to their assigned destination, and accompanied by Daisya and the Finders. The shaken feelings didn't stop, though.

_Another dream, but basically of the same content, the same cycle over and over again. Same as always, starting with the good memories, though I honestly don't remember that life all that much, but the bad memories surface all of a sudden. _Rue thought with a grimace, rubbing her temples to calm herself down. _Damn, it's probably because we're going on our way to Spain, isn't it?_

"Rue?" There was questioning concern in the older male's voice now, a warm pat on her head from his hand. "Are you okay? You don't look so good, you look pale…"

_I feel sick._

"I'm… All right, Daisya." Hesitant at first; then, it was as if she forced her reply out. "It's just that… I… I had a dream, that's all."

_You're such a liar, Rafale. You're not fine at all!_

He frowned at the answer, feeling there was more to it than that. Well, of course there had to be. Ever since Rue was assigned on this mission, she had been acting peculiar and it was evident to him the moment he had stepped into Komui's office. He admitted that he had eavesdropped as he happened to pass by, but what got him to volunteer to do this was the shaken uncertainty, the quiet fear, in his female teammate's voice.

As far as he could analyze the situation, she had unresolved issues when it came to Valencia, Spain.

Out of all of the people in the Tiedoll division, it was most likely General Tiedoll himself who knew of Rue's background. As far as Daisya was aware of, he, Marie, and even Kanda didn't—and still don't—know what her past was like. Even though she's been their colleague—and sister—for two years now, Rue was still a mystery to them. As much as he had his moments of curiosity when it came to her, somehow, he had a feeling Rue didn't want her past to be known.

_A ghost of the past, that has to be it. _He concluded with a strong belief, still keeping a worried eye on the tomboy. _It may have to do with her life before the Black Order…_

"Daisya," her voice called him out of his thoughts. "Please…"

He looked at her again, a bit surprised to find a hint of pain in her eyes. As if reading his mind, she spoke softly.

"Please… Don't worry about me too much. I know you find it odd I'm like this now, but don't ask why. I… Even for a little bit longer… I can't tell you yet. But I will make this clear to you: sooner or later, you will know, I promise, but not now. I hope you understand."

He nodded silently, ruffling her hair, knowing now that this was something she had to deal with on her own first.

"Hey, you two!" An obnoxious voice chirped from out of nowhere, snapping the two out of their own world. "This isn't the time to get lovey-dovey!"

Face flushed with anger and embarrassment, Daisya growled as he fully faced the owner of the voice, a sharp glare sent her way.

"Mind your own damn business, wench!"

"How rude, you commoner!" Edina huffed crossly, hands on her hips. "I'm just saying you shouldn't be sappy when you're supposed to do your job!"

"In case you don't know, this is just me worrying for my teammate. Fuck off, will you? I already know my job, so you should worry about yourself instead. And commoner, eh? I think that'll suit you better since you're being such a brat."

This time, he was given a glower of her own. However, a seemingly innocent look formed on her face soon after, followed by the curve of a taunting smile.

"Defensive, aren't we? And oh, I didn't know you were into men too. Disgusting."

The sneering remark only stirred his irritation further.

"What did you say?!"

"Daisya… I've already gotten used to this sort of thing."

The female Exorcist expressed nothing when she heard that false statement, but she couldn't help but feel—if anything—slightly irked. Edina thought they were a couple, a homosexual one at that – while she was accustomed to such comments due to her crossdressing habit, which meant Edina—like the majority—didn't know she was female, insulting Daisya like that was really asking for it.

After all, she acknowledged him as someone close to her, as someone more than just a teammate. So, this really got her annoyed.

"But Rue, that doesn't make it all right! This bitch just—"

His protests fell quiet as he felt a gentle squeeze on his arm. Looking down, Daisya found Rue's right hand on his left wrist. He looked at her again, confused and taken aback, seeing her face was composed with no trace of emotion. She only nodded in reassurance, as if telling him there was no need for him to say anymore, as she let go of his arm.

Breathing deeply, the strawberry blonde whipped her head towards the front to face the female Finder. Blue-gray eyes hardened into an icy gaze, freezing her on the spot.

"Miss Edina, please keep quiet." While the words were polite, there was a sharp coldness that could certainly bite. "You don't know what my relationship with Daisya is, so don't judge what you see in front of you. And heh, you're telling us to do our jobs as Exorcists as if it's the easiest thing in the world. Well, I'll tell you something: it isn't. So, don't act like we have it easy. Funny that you think that social statuses are everything too, maybe you should stop living in your fairytale and accept the reality around you. You're not in your cozy home anymore, you're now a Finder of the Black Order and you're surrounded by 'commoners' on a daily basis, whether you like it or not. Consider this as your own sacrifice, your penance, because of thinking that the world revolves around you and your wealth."

It was the female brunette's turn to become bright red with resentment, ready to retort, but the tomboy had cut her off. The Charity Bell's wielder was flabbergasted, watching all of this unfold.

"Life doesn't play favorites, everyone suffers. So, stop acting like you know everything just because you're rich. People like you are the reason why I wonder if humanity is this idiotic."

She was about to speak again, the red on her cheeks darkening in rage, but she had been kept quiet once more as she spotted a cold smirk on Rue's face.

"So, you have something against homosexuals too? What a close-minded child you are; even though you're four years older than me, this really proves that being older doesn't always mean maturity. As said, mind your own business on what's happening between Daisya and myself because it doesn't involve you. I'm telling you this as nicely as possible: kindly shut up and keep your huge nose out where it doesn't belong."

That did it. Out of self-consciousness, Edina clamped her hands over her admittingly big nose in an attempt to hide it, tears of fury forming in her hazel brown eyes. At this, Daisya snickered under his breath, a huge grin on his face. Rue faced away from her to the window, snubbing her completely as she watched the vibrant scenery outside.

"Well, you were out of line, butting in Daisya and Rue's conversation like that. Not only that, you just insulted their relationship; basically, you asked for it." Armando pointed out calmly, sending his female companion a cold glower of his own. This was more than she could stand as this was like pouring salt in an open wound. "So, keep quiet and let us handle this since you obviously can't."

And so, she did, but it still didn't stop her from sending dirty looks to the trio.

"Anyway," Armando began briskly, ignoring Edina too. "We have to focus on the mission."

"Yeah, we should." Daisya began looking through the files Komui had given them before they left, studying the information they had been given. "According to the brief…"

* * *

_"There had been reports in Valencia, Spain that a figure has been seen wandering around in the nighttime – the phenomenon had been occurring for as long as seven years. With little information we have on this, and with witnesses only having a vague description on the person, people say the body is male and holds an intimidating aura around him. No name and background information on him has been provided at this point. They also say he's the reason why Akuma had started to appear out of nowhere. However, there's also a possibility Innocence is involved, so look carefully and be safe."_

Valencia, Spain. A wonderful place to be in, there was no denying it, as the population was large. There were a lot of interesting things to see and do. If he had been around, Lavi would've loved exploring about and sightseeing on the historical landmarks, trying to fill his brain with knowledge of the place's history.

While the Finders went off to gather information and search for Innocence and Daisya trying to keep himself from feeling bored, Rue trailed a good distance behind and away from her male companion, eyes shifting uneasily. Being in the place she dreaded coming back to, she couldn't relax at all.

Body tense, a right hand rested on one of her daggers' hilts, gripping it so tightly.

Popping out from above (perhaps perched on her head the whole time), Deja flew down to settle on her shoulder and almost immediately gave her a worried look.

"I know, Deja." The female Exorcist spoke to her golem quietly, petting her/its head with her left forefinger. "I know you're worried, but I can take this. There are just some things I can't forget…"

She/It only nodded in reply, rubbing against her finger.

"Oy, Rue!" Turning at the sound of the deep voice, she stepped up to Daisya, stopping in front of his back.

"What is it, Daisya?"

"Look over there. Suspicious, isn't it?" He moved his head to point a direction; then, looked back at her to see what she thought as a dreadful expression fell upon his face. "But damn, does it give me the creeps."

Raising a brow, she peeked from behind him, trying to figure out what he was talking about. She scanned her surroundings, looking from both sides. Once her vision landed on a certain place, her right hand unconsciously grasped her dagger's handle with a pressure that turned her knuckles white. Her face too was probably pale by now – she could feel the blood draining from her cheeks.

A good distance away from the two Exorcists was what looked like a large, abandoned building, looked to be once used as a base or a hideout of sorts. The roof, though strong, had some holes in it. There was definitely some aging that made the structure look poor while there were probably manmade damages: cracked, dusty windows; burnt spots, cobwebs, grass and weeds growing around the vicinity, and such other things.

As the two got closer to the place, something caught their eyes. On the front door was a strange sign of sorts. Upon closer inspection, it was a rune circle. In the middle of it were two crossed daggers.

A wave of nausea took over Rue, a hand shot up to her head as she felt a sudden wooziness. The memories were overwhelming her now, reminding her of the Hell she had been through. Trying to find some sort of support, she unconsciously held onto Daisya's shoulders, head resting on his back while trying to pull herself together.

Sensing this, the male Exorcist looked from behind him, sending a concerned frown towards her direction.

"What's wrong?"

With her head buried into his back, her arms went down to hug him from behind, her eyes shut tight as she squeezed his waist.

"Let's just wait until nighttime approaches and come back here." She said at last, finding it difficult to breathe, sensing her comrade's worried and confused gaze. "I've a strong feeling that this is the place where we'll find our objective. Don't ask why… Call it a hunch…"

* * *

Later that night…

_"Ancient City Martel. It is now an abandoned city where a ghost dwells. The investigation started with the rumors of an eerie legend that was being discussed amongst the locals. The ghost is a deceased citizen of Martel. It spited those who left the city, and as more left, its face became more and more ugly. And in order to escape its loneliness, it kidnaps children who get near the city."_

While landing on the edge of a bridge with one hand, and reading the brief with the other, Allen Walker clarified, "Ummm, there's one other thing I don't understand."

Impatient, Kanda Yuu—along with the Finder—jumped off the bridge too, yelling, "Just worry about the train for now!"

Landing on a metal bar, Finder Toma called out from below them, "Please hurry, the train has come!"

"Whaaat!? We're going on that?!"

With no other choice, the two Exorcists jumped down and landed on the running train.

"Illegally boarding the train…" Allen mumbled, unsure of what to think about it while giving Kanda a look.

"We've always done it this way." Kanda responded casually as if this was the natural thing to do.

Once the three boarded inside due to a door that lead from the ceiling up, the conductor was seeing that this was troublesome, fretting.

"Excuse me, passengers! This is the first class train and normal citizens are supposed to be in the second class train… And you guys just came in from there…"

"We're the Black Priests, please get a room ready." Toma replied politely.

"The Black…?!" As soon as he saw the Rose Crest on Kanda's Exorcist cloak, he bowed down and went off hurriedly, "Y-Yes sir!"

"What was that all about?" The younger male asked, curious and confused.

"The Rose Crest you carry on your shoulder is the symbol of the Vatican and it allows you to enter any place you desire." The Finder responded accordingly, seeing that Allen was looking at the brooch with wonder. "By the way, I will be supporting you until we reach Martel. The name's Toma, I'm one of the Finders. Nice to meet you."

While Toma guarded the door outside, it was then the Exorcists began to converse again.

"All right, the question I was wondering about earlier…" Allen began with a contemplative frown, facing a serious faced (like always) Kanda, running through the brief again. "What does this eerie legend have to do with Innocence?"

The glower on the Japanese male deepened as he really felt lazy to explain all of it. However idle he felt, nonetheless, he still provided an answer.

"Che. An Innocence is…"

_He just "che"ed me! _Allen cried out in indignation, annoyed of the other's discourtesy.

"A substance that has changed over the years, from the time of the Noah to the present. In the beginning, it was sunk at the bottom of the sea, but… As if the power of the stone lured us to it, we discovered it. But, its appearance changes every time and it could appear out of nowhere in any form. The stones always cause eerie illusions. For some reason…"

Gray eyes wide, the British boy had pieced it together.

"So, that means the 'Ghost of Martel' might have to do something with Innocence?"

"Yeah," the Japanese male studied the brief again, saying an excerpt to make his point. "'In an eerie place, there lies Innocence.' That's why the church investigates these kinds of places and, whenever they feel that there's a high probability of an Innocence being there, they send us in."

_Eerie… _The new Exorcist thought, once more looking at his own copy of the given information. _Just being there, it lures many things in due to its energy. If they can find a body, it could be turned into an anti-Akuma weapon… A weird stone… If the existence of Innocence is what's causing strange things to happen, then… What the Hell is the Ghost of Martel…?_

Simultaneously, both Exorcists seemed to have been on the same wavelength as a piece of information caught their eye. From outside, Toma must've sensed it as he had begun to speak.

"That's right. I, too, was part of the investigation, so I have seen it before… The Ghost of Martel is…"

* * *

"The Ghost of Martel is only a doll…" Allen mumbled in thought moments later when all three got off the train and into the night, running through the hills.

_"Living between the rocks and the dry lands, the citizens lived a horrible life. And thusly, Martel was called 'The Land Forsaken by God.' Living in despair, the people started to create dolls in order to forget about their situation. Joyous dolls that dance and sing. But, in the end, they got tired of creating the dolls and eventually moved. However, the dolls that were left behind still moved as they did before. Even now, after five hundred years."_

Kanda spoke out his own thoughts:"It wouldn't be surprising if Innocence was used to create the dolls."

They skidded to a halt, overlooking the city of Martel.

_What the Hell is this chill? _Allen frowned, going uneasy. _The Finders…_

"Damn, we tried to get here as soon as we got the transmission. But, they're already dead."

The boy had no reply to Kanda's statement, but the Japanese male caught his attention.

"Hey, you. I'll say this before we start." Here, a serious look etched on Kanda's face, his eyes hardened with resolve. "I don't care if you're on the verge of being killed. If I find you a nuisance, I'll leave you behind. In war, there are always sacrifices, so don't think of us as partners."

His gaze averting away from the older male, the younger one had only one thing to say to this:

"I don't like your way of thinking."

An explosion erupted, the Level 1 Akuma shooting out their bullets.

"Keep shooting!" The Level 2 clown-like Akuma commanded, one foot on a Finder's head.

"Ugh!" The Finder groaned from under, but the Akuma stepped on his head to shut him up. From the side was a contraption of sorts in the crater, a cube shaped barrier. Inside were Gozuru and Lala, the Akuma's targets.

"Damn human! Putting the machine inside with the dolls to seal them… This is gonna take some time…"

"We… We won't hand over the Innocence to you, Akuma!"

This was responded with a powerful stomp, causing an ear piercing shriek as blood poured from the Finder's scalp.

"Just because I'm bored, I'll play with your head!"

"STOP IT!"

In a flash, Allen jumped in, his left arm morphing into its metallic Innocence form as it stabbed the Akuma head on in the abdomen. With horrified realization, the boy's left eye began to act up, as if seeing right through the abomination when up close.

_He's an Akuma?!_

The strike got blocked with the creature's own hand, a wicked smile on its ugly face.

"Who are you? What are you?"

Provided with no answer, the Akuma gave a swift, strong kick, sending the boy flying right into a wall, the powerful impact creating a hole.

From above on a nearby roof, Kanda was displeased.

"That idiot."

* * *

Hitomi: Done, surprisingly enough. My Christmas break started this week, so I have a few more days until going back to school. Sorry that it took long updating, was driving myself nuts with exams and anything else school related. And now, I'm beginning to feel it…

The awful curse that is writer's block. *groans* Oh dear… I was hoping this wasn't going to happen… I guess it's because I've been stressed lately and this is the time for me to relax and unwind.

Snippets of Rue's past… Now, it's revealed she actually has biological siblings, an older brother and a younger sister. But whether they're alive or not is the question now. You only see bits and pieces of both good and bad in her life through the dialogue, so I hope you guys have a vague sense of awareness of how her life was.

I've decided to make the guys in the Tiedoll unit (save for General Tiedoll himself) to not know of Rue's past. However, as stated, Daisya will be the first one to know sooner or later why the mission's bothering Rue so much.

Yes, I know Edina is a bitch. That's just how her personality is (after all, she was loosely based off of someone I don't like all that much). And that's also why Armando's created, to keep her in line. Well, of course she'd say something hateful like that, especially when she doesn't know Rue is female. But, good thing there are some people to keep her mouth shut.

Though, I wonder if you guys suspect otherwise of Daisya and Rue's relationship, anyhow. *coughs* XD Seriously, it looks like something's going on, even though that's not my intention.

And then, I throw in the Allen/Kanda mission, derived from the manga. I plan to cut some of it out because it's a long mission (for Christ's sakes, this mission runs for… what, seven chapters? [chapters 9 through 16]). So yeah, I plan to fast forward it a bit.

As for what I plan in the Daisya/Rue mission… UGH, that's where my writer's block is going to irritate me. I already have an idea or two on what to do, especially when Rue's past is involved, but I'm still trying to think about it.

Sorry about this chapter being… Well, boring, to you guys. I also apologize for the short length. I've a feeling that I'll be rewriting this chapter a little more when I get around to it.

^_~ Although I am on time for Christmas as it's Christmas Eve here in the Philippines. So, Merry Christmas, you guys! Look forward to the next chapter too!


	24. Once and For All

Hitomi: Man, the writer's block is just so ready to kill me right now. But nope. *stabs* I'm not letting it, despite on how irritating it is. Thank you, guys, for all of the feedback and support.

Gin-Nee – Hehe, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Really? I thought people would find it boring as nothing much happened other than the start of the Daisya/Rue mission whereas the Allen/Kanda mission has already begun to move forward. That or probably lack of description of the scenery and other stuff. I don't know, I just feel a little off with Chapter XXIII (apparently, I've issues with it), so I may rewrite it. But, thank you for the feedback. XD And yeah, I know that's a joke, ahaha. Congrats for finishing the first semester and with a 4.0 GPA too, wow!

It'sDarkInHere – Ah, really? Thanks! Yeah, seriously, Edina needs to keep her mouth shut sometimes. But, there's always Armando to keep reminding her of that, so I've nothing to worry about. As for Rue's past… It was something to dabble into (at least, the good parts in her life since I already know what the rest of her life consisted of until she became an Exorcist). Besides, now that it's revealed she does have siblings, I won't be surprised if she actually starts searching for them. You could be right, though, about the chapter's length being short compared to my previous chapters. XD Since I actually feel the same way.

Kevin-niichan – Yikes, the writer's block got you too?! Noooooo, that's bad! Sorry to hear that, really. But, I'm glad you and your prof. worked something out. Glad to hear you're on your winter break too. Eh?! Did the wording really improve?! Really, I wonder what the difference is… *goes back to check* Well, I did my best to keep everyone in character as much as possible… Glad to hear that I've actually fleshed Daisya out because, even though he's a minor character, I wanted to develop more on his personality (at least, what little we've noticed about it in canon!DGM, in both the manga and the anime). Rue's internal conflicts… While she does speak out her feelings bluntly, her past is something that she still has issues with and she wants to settle it first. This is what she makes clear to Daisya: that she will tell him what's bothering her, but only when she finally faces her past head-on. Well, Edina is portrayed as an immature girl, so she really does need to clam up because she really doesn't know what she's talking about. XD Ah, sorry about that modern liberal viewpoint, concerning that DGM takes place in the 19th century, but yes… Looks like creative license can apply here, especially since homosexuality—and bisexuality—has been around for as long as heterosexuality and life in general exists; it's just that, in recent years, homosexuality and bisexuality has finally came out in the open. Well, it was fun writing both the Allen/Kanda and Daisya/Rue missions, albeit it was a bit difficult. Besides, even though people know what happens in the manga/anime, I still wanted to keep some of the spotlight on Allen (after all, he IS the main character of DGM; also, this will ward off any accusations of Rue being a Mary-Sue again because, knowing the negative feedback, they'll accuse Rue of hogging the spotlight and all). Merry Christmas, Kevin!

That Reminiscent Sky – Merry (late) Christmas! DX Sorry that your Internet sucks at the moment, but I'm still happy you're able to give your feedback on the chapter, so that means a lot to me.

Soulless Ghosty – Well, I don't mind if people log in or out just to review. Although, for some reason, I'm oddly amused by it. But yeah, I also see Daisya and Rue's relationship as a sibling bond rather than a romantic one (though, people may think that since people can have different interpretations… although, I still want to dabble into a "what if" kind of thing if Daisya and Rue were to be a couple [who knows, one day, I might write something about it]). But yeah, the Daisya/Rue mission is basically something like what you just guessed (or was that a suggestion?). Either way, thank you very much. And you have a nice break too!

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

* * *

**Unravel**

**XXIV**

**Once and For All**

[_Is it possible to repent for sins committed years ago?_

_The regret finally releases itself fully onto me, white memories stained black._

_Hands that are forever sin red, the scars dully aching with dark reminders,_

_I still walk forward in spite of the hardships._

_Is this why… I became an Exorcist?_]

* * *

The moonlit evening in Valencia, Spain was of clear, dark skies and countless stars dotting them. It would've been considered as beautiful if not for the sinister mood in the air. No doubt that there were definitely things that bumped into the night.

"Innocence, activate! Charity Bell: Resonance!"

In the abandoned hideout, chaos unfolded in the form of an Akuma fray. There was a good handful of Akuma in the area now, but nothing unmanageable. As the male Exorcist called out his command, he kicked the Charity Bell high up into the air. The round bell hovered and glowed, its power pulsating all over the place in loops. The sound waves rang loudly, taking over the atmosphere completely as they shattered dozens of Akuma into nothing.

"Hah! You think that I can be defeated so easily?!" Daisya questioned loudly, a cocky grin on his face as he gave the round object another powerful kick to hurl at the Akuma Despite his talk and having an easy time defeating the enemy, he still bore some wounds here and there, but nothing serious. "Well, too bad for you suckers, you're going down!"

"Quit having a big head, you moron!" Somewhere at the side, perhaps in hiding, Edina decided to make her input. "Unless you want to die, stop showing off!"

Whereas a sigh—no doubt Armando—made a response to this, the male Finder shaking his head and making note to lecture the female Finder later on. This was exactly why he was keeping his profile low in a different location – certainly not with the noisy female because that would only put him in a dangerous position.

"Perhaps, you're the one who's going to die, girly!" A Level 2 Akuma sneered with a nefarious smile, having spotted the female Finder and cornering her.

"Stay away, ugly! You don't deserve to be in my presence!" Despite the treacherous situation she was in, Edina still had the guts to be a snob at a time like this.

"I don't care, it's time to destroy that pretty face of yours!"

She was going to beg mercy for her life, unprepared to go to the afterlife, but she only felt something dripping. Opening her eyes, they went round as the Level 2 Akuma was merely standing there, a sharp rock having pierced through its body from the back to the chest and abdomen. Blood gushed from where the rock stabbed it, the liquid dripping from the corner of its mouth too, as the corpse disintegrated. No remark of relief or gratitude was made; instead, her nose wrinkled in disgust as she started to complain on how she had Akuma blood on her clothes.

"Ugh, I can't wait to get back to the Black Order and take a nice, hot bath! Disgusting, revolting, and unsanitary!"

"You really are unthankful, you wench." Daisya grumbled under his breath as he dodged an Akuma's attack; then, his voice went loud as he turned to a certain direction. "Man, you shouldn't have saved her! She really doesn't have any appreciation at all, so it would've been good riddance!"

Hearing that, it finally occurred to the female Finder's obliviousness that she had been saved. Turning her gaze to the direction Daisya was yelling in, her eyes settled onto her savior, who was currently busy in her own battle.

"Well, it wouldn't be right to just let her die. Sir Komui would've been very disappointed in me if I did that." Rue replied bluntly, a fisted Deathtrap on the floor, pounding the earth in brown waves as it sent a powerful earthquake to faraway Akuma. Lifeline was light green, the white fingers delicately moving in the air; then, curled into a tight fist. As she sent a punch to Akuma in close proximity, wind blades formed and struck the grotesque monster square in the face.

"Well, Komui wouldn't know what really happened, anyway. We could've just written her off as a casualty in the line of fire! You know how it is in the Black Order, a lot of Exorcists and Finders die, so it wouldn't have made a difference if the brat did!"

At this, Edina shot a dirty look to the boisterous male. However, there was no denying that what he said was true.

"Daisya, I already know the reality of our work because this is what war is about. But, even though Edina has such a crude personality, she still has a right to live like everyone else."

Hearing that made the female Finder's eyes round, making her make a quick double take towards the female Exorcist. The male Exorcist was speechless on what his companion had just said; then, quickly snapping out of his stupor when an Akuma was going to attack him. Even Armando, who cautiously came out of his hiding place, was astonished to hear that.

"Hahaha!" Edina flashed a smug grin at Daisya, who scowled in return. "You hear that?! I DO deserve to live!"

"However," Rue continued quietly, though she had been cut off as she flew to the floor, having been given a nice kick in the face by a Level 2 Akuma. Quick on her feet to get up, in spite of the throbbing pain on her right cheek and blood dripping from the corner of her mouth, fire formed around Deathtrap and the black fist slammed its power in the creature's chest. "It's not like Edina will live a good life to her standards because, until the war is over (who knows how long it'll go on), she'll have to face the fact of being surrounded by 'commoners' for a long period of time. Keep in mind that Edina is from an extravagantly wealthy family, so she's not used to these circumstances."

Taking this into account, the arrogant smile on the female Finder's face slipped into an irritated frown. The male Finder, however, fought back a grin of his own, amused.

"So, in other words," Rue's partner was starting to get it, a reveling smirk forming as he kicked the Charity Bell to an Akuma's face. "By letting her live like this, you're basically making her suffer."

"You can say that. Well, she can pick her poison: either to die when she has so much to live for or live, but put up with trials and obstacles until the war is over. It wouldn't kill her to have patience, though…"

"Hey, don't talk as if I'm not here!"

"Edina, keep quiet. You need to hear this because this is basically constructive criticism for you."

"You keep your mouth shut for once, Armando!"

"Damn it…" The Charity Bell wielder growled, not liking the current circumstances, narrow dark brown eyes seeing numerous Akuma. "It's like there's a never ending swarm of these guys!"

"We are in quite a bind." His female partner sighed from behind him, a tight frown on her face, gloved fists raised up. "But, the brief said that the cause of Akuma was of a mysterious figure."

"Right. Did you manage to find the source?"

"Well, I've been looking around the building from top to bottom."

_It's because I know the crooks and crannies of this place. My earliest memories… Where everything all began before I became an Exorcist…_

_ But, do I still have the right to call myself that?_

"And? Did you find anything?"

"Well, I—"

Everything had been cut off from there. Anxious, Daisya looked over his shoulder, confused by Rue's silence. But once he caught her distraught gaze and a tight fisted Deathtrap on a sheathed dagger, he looked towards her sight of direction and felt a very dark threat. From above them, standing on metal bars, was a masculine figure, a black and torn cape flapping from behind. Swiftly, he jumped, landing gracefully on the floor.

When the figure got up, Daisya stepped closer to Rue in case she needed back up. As for Rue herself, she felt immobilized, her insides frozen with fear.

"You…"

Light ash brown hair in a small ponytail, a sinister smirk was on the young man's face, icy indigo eyes greeting the girl with a familiarity that had been present for years.

"Long time, no see… Rue."

The memories, the damn memories, tormented her. Smothering, suffocating, haunting. That was how she truly felt when it came to _him_. There was no way she could forget about the man standing in front of her. How could she ever forget?

_"Remember your duties on the day you've been brought here, Rue. Your purpose in this life is to kill and only kill. Throw away all emotions because they will only be a distraction and a nuisance to you. With such trivial things, they will become your downfall in the line of obligation. Now, be a good girl and kill those who go against us." _

"Commander… Zero…" A quiet whisper of cold indifference, reluctance and fear hiding behind a neutral mask, her clenched hand numb from feeling as it still kept its tight hold on the blade's handle. "You had been known as 'Last Shadow' in this place. To think that you had been the cause of all of this disorder in Spain for the past seven years, I'm not even surprised at all."

"You haven't forgotten about me at all, even up to now. Heh… So, Rafale still remembers what happened years ago."

"Of course I do. Which is why…" There, she held up a clenched Deathtrap, an unsheathed dagger held by its hilt. "I want to settle this now."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Italy mission with Kanda and Allen, things had been going tense. Apparently, it was evident that the Level 2 Akuma's power was to be able to duplicate its appearance of the people near it, so it can disguise itself easily. Not only that, but it could also clone weaponry, which was why it was able to appear like Allen and fight like him.

Having been sent out by the Akuma with a powerful force when they engaged in their huge battle, Allen Walker had stumbled upon an underground path under the City of Martel. Whereas Kanda, who had escaped with Guzoru and Lala (who holds the Innocence), was informed about it by Toma via golem. Having been reunited with Toma (who had been keeping a low profile to escape from the Akuma), previously crushed (because the Level 2 Akuma destroyed him earlier) and the since regenerated Timcampy showed information on the Akuma by opening his mouth and projecting the image of it. From what Kanda can note, despite the transformation of the Akuma, the appearance looked backwards.

However, because of being distracted by that, Guzoru and Lala went ahead of the two in the underground path with all the intention to escape. And when this happened, both the Finder and the Japanese Exorcist to turn around to find… Allen Walker?

As the two people went into a run, they fell into a hole and there they were in the underground path.

"Are you all right, Guzoru?"

"Ah… Thanks to your slowing us down, the impact wasn't too serious…"

"Thank goodness." Lala replied with a smile, despite her right hand being bloodied.

"Lala! Did you crush your arm?!" Guzoru took her hand into his lap, examining the injury with concern.

"It's fine! In any case, as long as you keep living, I will too…"

"Ugh!"

"Guzoru?!"

The five hundred-year-old human began to cough uncontrollably, lots of blood coming out. At this, the girl frowned, hugging him close as her chin rested on his shoulder.

"Guzoru… There isn't much time left, is there? What… Can I do for you…?

* * *

"Wh… What should I do? I'm lost…" Allen mumbled to himself as he had been wandering around the underground cave for quite some time; then, he started to panic with hands on his head, freaking out about the scenario. "AAAAAH!!! I shouldn't have walked around so carelessly!! This place is a freaking maze!!! I'm not supposed to get lost in here like some missing child!!"

With a dejected sigh, he said wistfully, "If only Timcampy were here…"

Searching for his master, the golden golem kept floating. Once he found a particular wall, he slammed onto it. Opening his mouth and exposing his razor sharp teeth, he began to eat away at the wall like it was nothing.

* * *

"Ka… Ka… Ndaa…" No, it wasn't the real Allen that had found the other two.

"It… It's a mirror image!" Toma cried out, horrified.

Activating Mugen, Kanda growled with the sword drawn out, "It seems that we have an incredibly stupid one."

It looked like the fake Allen wanted to say something to this, something close to protest.

"Ka… N… Da… Do…!"

"Return of the Apocalypse. First Illusion: Hell's Insects!"

The grotesque insects came out when summoned, ready to eat away at the Akuma. But just when it was about to, a familiar, silver claw came out from the nearby wall to block the attack. And Kanda didn't make this go unnoticed, stunned by the sudden defense.

"Wa… Master Walker…" The fake Allen mumbled as the real Allen Walker—along with Timcampy—finally made their appearances. With a frown, it seemed that Allen realized who it was.

"You are…?"

The other Exorcist, however, did not.

"Beansprout!"

Turning around to meet his hot-tempered companion, the younger boy protested, "Kanda! What do you think you're doing?!"

"Why are you protecting the Akuma…?!" There was no doubt that he was furious about this.

With a reasonable, firm voice, he shot back, "Kanda, I have an 'eye' that can tell people apart from Akuma. This person is not an Akuma!"

"Master… Walk… Er…" The "fake" Allen whispered in "his" unconsciousness, a gap on "his" right cheek. Seeing this, questioning it, the young Exorcist widened the space and ripped the "skin" off. It unveiled a passed out Finder…

"Toma?!"

"What…" The older Exorcist was disbelieving.

Allen's left eye suddenly glowed an ominous red, the power activated, as he shouted warningly, "That Toma behind you is an Akuma, Kanda!!!"

Before he could do anything, it was too late, as the now revealed Akuma punched the samurai through a wall. From the impact, Mugen slipped from its owner's hands and spun in the air, embedding itself into the ground.

"Ka… Kanda!!!"

From within the hole was another room, Kanda being held against the wall by his neck in the Akuma's left hand. There was nothing he could do to escape this.

"You bastard…" Kanda wheezed, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. "When did you…"

The fake Toma was smug, deciding to reveal what he had done.

"Hehehe… When you were talking with him! I found the one you called 'Toma' at the same time I crushed that yellow golem! I thought that if I wore this image, you wouldn't notice." He said proudly, his other hand aiming for his own forehead. "See? Didn't you notice this is a mirror image too? And I made him 'wear' the image of the white haired one… Hehehe, I'm smart."

His index finger's long nail cutting through his forehead, the Akuma shed his skin and revealed his true face, his tongue sticking out the Exorcist in front of him as if mocking him.

"My skin is like duplicating paper. I really got you good!"

"Hah!" Kanda sneered with a smirk, unable to say anymore as he got slashed by the Akuma's weapon, which took form of Allen's anti-Akuma weapon again. Though he had sustained heavy injury, he was still able to stand, his hair tie having been cut off in the process, letting his long, dark hair spill out from its ponytail. This seemed to have stunned the Akuma since his next sentence was this:

"Huh? Hurry up and die already!"

"Die?" The Exorcist questioned with a scoff, mocking his foe a little. But then, he had a serious look in his eyes, remembering something important to him. "I… I cannot die before I find _that person_… I…"

Then, he finally stopped speaking, his eyes dull.

"Gyahyahahaha!!! Awesome, he died while standing!"

Unfortunately for the Akuma, he had been cut off from his gloating as the silver claw hooked him and slammed him into a wall.

"You bastard!!! Allen cried out, enraged; then, turned immediately to Kanda and crouched down to him, filled with anxiety as he grabbed his shoulders and shook him a little to get a hold of him somewhere. "Kanda!!"

"Hah… Hah…"

Relief and hope were released into his veins as he heard his companion's faint breathing.

_He's breathing! He's still alive!_

On the floor, yet into another room, the Akuma groaned as his blood spilled all around him. Pain throbbed all over him and he was struggling to get up.

"Ugh… Damn it, that piece of shit… My body got sliced in half…"

His wound was immediately forgotten as alertness kicked in when he found his enemy got away.

"Where did they go?!"

Wearily crossing through the passage, Allen was supporting Kanda with one arm and Toma was thrown over his right shoulder and being carried like so, Timcampy following along. Despite his own wounds, he didn't mind carrying the two of them as long as they were all safe.

"Ow…"

"Master Walker… Please, leave me here." Toma pleaded softly, concerned for the other's well being. "You're badly wounded too…"

"I will do no such thing!" The boy replied with a slight smile, determined to keep his word.

_Damn it. _His thoughts were growing dark, very well aware of the situation, knowing that they had to be in a safe place and fast. _Isn't there a place where we could stop to take care of these injuries?_

As if to answer his prayer, singing could be heard from a distance…

"A song…?"

_Martel was called "The Land Forsaken by God." Living in despair, the people started to create dolls in order to forget about their situation. Joyous dolls that danced and sang.

* * *

_

Hitomi: Finally done. Sorry if this seems a bit rushed. I just wanted to finish this as soon as possible and not delay it any longer. Really… School stress is starting to get to me again.

I won't go into much detail as I usually do (most likely, I'll edit this section when I have more time), but do look forward to the next chapter~ And I did tell you I was gonna skip some parts of the Allen/Kanda mission, so I did paraphrase what happened in the opening paragraph of the section.

Oh yeah, due to this writer's block, I created a new DGM fic (seriously, while writer's block kicked my ass and I'm moping about it, this idea just popped into my head out of nowhere). It's called Ice Flare, an AU(?)/AR fic… And you guessed it, Lavi x OC again. Please, read it too and tell me what you think.

Be seeing you next chapter as the conclusion of both missions wrap up~


	25. Breaking Free

Hitomi: Wow~ Already at Chapter XXV! XD And I see that Unravel is as popular as ever (although Ice Flare's sudden popularity got me into a total shock, ehehe). Though I know I still have a long way to go, I'll keep doing my best. Besides… While writing DGM fanfiction, I began to remember why I loved writing fanfiction so much when beginning to write years back – it's because it's fun and makes me think of ways to get creative. My love for writing grew immensely to the point it's a dream to become a writer in the real world.

I know it won't be easy since the writing business is competitive… But, I still want to do my best.

And, as always, thank you guys for the feedback and support (the reviews, the faves, the alerts… everything)! You guys are the best… You're one of the biggest reasons why I keep continue writing Unravel. It's always fun to hear what you think of the chapters. *nods* Of course, I know I need to work on some things like grammar and such, so I'll do my best to work on that too.

Kevin-niichan: o_o I find it odd too, considering I shouldn't have been able to write much (or, at least, delay writing last chapter a little longer) if at all. *laughs a little* But, I suppose it's because of my stress and stubbornness that I decided to write so much like this. It was fun to write a humorous situation like that. XD I'm a sadist for picking on Edina too much, really. Ah, the twist of the chapter~ To think that the one who's causing the Akuma's appearance is Rue's ghost of the past. Now, to figure out on how she'll settle that permanently. Ooops. I guess I should've kept in mind that Lala is a doll, so it would've made sense if she lived for that long and not Guzoru. Then again, in the manga, Guzoru did claim he lived for five hundred years when he was talking to Kanda on knowing about the underground path, so that's why I made it clear last chapter (then again, it could've been just a cover up to protect Lala – in that case, ooops. *facepalms*). Yeah, I did edit that sentence and resubmitted the chapter's document again, so thank you.*evil grin* And yes, time to use Lavi's hammer to smack our writer's blocks. Or burn them to a crisp with the Fire Seal, depending on how spiteful I feel.

Soulless Ghosty – Glad to hear you're checking Ice Flare out. And you're welcome for the chapter! Let's see how Daisya and Rue will make it out of this.

That Reminiscent Sky – ^^; As I said, I must've been quite stressed out, so writing tends to be my main source of stress relief. Ended up writing quite a lot, I have to say (considering I updated Unravel and started on Ice Flare the same day – wow, what a shock). XD It was a lot of fun to write the scene of Edina being rebuked like that, so it makes me wonder if I should let her continue to live for this purpose or not. *snickers* I guess people do like the twist in their mission, huh? Well, considering this mission is basically making Rue face her past all over again, thus making it so ironic that the figure who's causing the Akuma chaos is the commander Riley killed years ago for Rue's sake, I figured I'd end it like that. So, let's see what'll happen now…

As for the Allen/Kanda mission… XD I figured you wouldn't comment on it since we all know what happens already.

AngelaChaos – Ah, wow, another fan?! Thank you~ I must say I find it surprising that when some people review, they say they started reading my story moments ago or a day or two ago and read all of the chapters straight. XD What, is my story really that interesting?! *SHOT* But, seriously, thank you! X3 And no worries, I'll continue writing this.

Midnight Hikari – XD Well, Edina is like that, so I'm not surprised if you hate her (that's pretty much the purpose since Edina's basically comic relief and all). Wait… Huh?! You've been reading my fic for a while?! *is surprised* Wow, I'm so happy to hear that I've another fan! Whoa, you like Rue much more than your OC, Natalie?! I'm shocked! Really, I am! Maybe it's because you can connect to her somehow? Out of curiosity, I'd like to ask what you like about Rue (really; if you like her more than your own OC (though I'm still happy you're very proud of your OC, which you should be since you worked hard on creating her), then that has to mean something). I'm very happy to hear that Rue isn't a Mary Sue. *sighs in relief* It took me a while to develop her character, so it really bugs me a lot when people accuse her of such. Glad to hear the story's flowing nicely too (XD minus the grammar mistakes that seem to be cropping up, which I'm trying so hard to avoid). And… Oh my God, whoa… o_o Are you telling me the reason why you started writing Finder's Etiquette is because of Unravel?! Wow! To think you were inspired by my fanfic that much… *sniff* I'm touched. Thank you for saying that I inspired you to write something in the DGM fandom. Then, I definitely will review your fanfic soon (when I'm not busy with schoolwork; sheesh, it's such a hassle) as well as keep up with reading it! Oooh, you're Filipino too? X3 Nice to meet another fellow Filipino on FF . net, then!

It'sDarkInHere – Hehehe, really serves Edina right, honestly. This is why I love to torture her so much. That's true, he was hardly in the anime or manga, so I really wanted to give Daisya more of a role and flesh out his character from what I observed on his personality—though, so little—in canon. As for Rue's ghost of the past… More info will be elaborated in here. So, look forward to reading!

Replay – Wow, thank you for the support! And no worries, this shall be updated~

Now then~ Time to start!

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

* * *

**Unravel**

**XXV**

**Breaking Free**

[_In life, we always have a reason for what we do._

_Sometimes, we're still too scared to confront the ghosts of our pasts or_

_We try to find our place in this world as if seeking for redemption._

_It doesn't mean we're alone, though._

_We can't change the past, but it can motivate us to do better…_

_And by doing our best, we can slowly move forward._]

* * *

Continuous clashing of metal echoed all over the rundown lair, each blow raining down. Fast paced steps, quick breathing, colliding all over again; it was a shaky, ongoing cycle. Both opponents were on their toes, unrelenting, neither willing to hesitant or back down. They were lost in their own world, all caught up in a dizzying knife fight. Silver and red, those were their colors now.

This had to be settled, the final confrontation to end the past.

This was why she felt she had to resolve this on her own. This was her fight, her dilemma, her burden that she had been shouldering for so long. And she was going to break these chains herself.

_Heh, he's as skillful as ever. Nothing's changed at all from those years ago. _An afterthought slipped through Rue's mind, her blank facial expression molding into a very slight wince as the weight of her ex-commander's blade parried with her own once again. She had already bore wounds from her earlier skirmishes with the Akuma, but more red was staining her skin because of the knife fight, numerous lacerations snaking around her body. Having not taken out her other dagger yet, Lifeline's jagged rocks clobbered a nearby Akuma that was going to make an incoming attack while she was distracted like this. _Focus, Rafale, focus. Just concentrate on taking him down..._

"Are you really going to fight him on your own?!" Daisya's anxious voice called her, the Charity Bell ricocheting all over the place to kill off the surrounding Akuma. "Rue, this isn't an opponent that you can just beat up so easily!"

"Of course I'm going to." She responded calmly, now getting out her second dagger to block Zero's swipe, using the first to make an attempt to stab him. "And don't you think I know that? I HAVE fought him before, a long time ago."

"But, even if you are capable of fighting Akuma now, that doesn't mean—Hold on, you said you've fought him before?!"

She said nothing after that, her eyes gleaming with cruelty when facing the man she was fighting with. Determined to not think about what happened before, she spun her daggers, a sure sign that she was still as merciless as ever. And so, she kept up with the older man's steps, not even holding back one devastating blow as others followed along. He was still able to block most of it with his own knives, but there was no denying that Zero, too, had gotten his fair share of injuries.

"Rue…What's the connection between you and this guy… Zero, is it?"

"Daisya, not now."

"But, you insisted on fighting him on your own without saying why! And you won't even let me help you!"

"You wouldn't understand." She growled under her breath, evading a strike from one dagger, but getting the other embedded in her left shoulder. The impact of the stab was unbearable, but she gritted her teeth, refusing to let herself succumb to it. "Really, you just wouldn't—"

"This isn't the time to be stubborn, Rue!" He roared back fiercely, taking a hit in the abdomen by a Level 2 Akuma, but he countered it as he kicked the Charity Bell hard enough to make a hole through its stomach as the spherical Innocence obliterated the monster with its sound waves. "Stop acting like this and let me help you kick his ass! What are you, a martyr?! Or is this because your pride is getting to your head?!"

"I am not a martyr nor am I being prideful about this! Daisya, I said no! I'm not letting you do this—"

"And why not?! Give me one, good reason why I shouldn't fight this guy! Give me a damn reason why!"

"Because this person is from my past, so I already know what he's capable of! And I just…!"

She struggled to keep her composure, but she also wanted to let her sentiments out in the open. She felt appalled that Daisya and her were fighting right now, even more so when it concerned the dark side of her that she kept hidden for so long, that she wanted to keep him—wanted to keep the majority close to her—away from. She didn't want to be looked at as monstrous, stained. The girl clamped her lips together into a very thin line, unsure of what to do.

_Damn it all to Hell. _Rue thought with bitter doubt, shaking her head. _What am I supposed to say? I want Daisya to understand, but I also don't want to be pushed away by him either… What should I do? Someone, anyone… _

And a certain man's words played in her mind…

"_There's no need to be afraid on being honest. It's okay… The world does need a little more sincerity…"_

_General Tiedoll… That's right, I… Even if it scares me to say what I want to say for fear it'll be too blunt for people to take, as long as I can put my feelings across to have others understand me, there shouldn't be any misunderstandings. Because I… _

_I'm human too._

"I just…" She began to feel reluctant to speak out, but she decided against it. She was going to let Daisya understand because he's one of the people she cares about a lot. And so, she finally got the courage to say it, albeit in the form of a small voice. But even if her voice was small, even if her face was blank of expression, the words were sincere with strong feeling. "Don't want to have a close call on losing someone again…"

When Daisya heard that as he still fought the Akuma off, his eyes were wide with surprise. He may've not comprehended the whole situation, but the words she had spoken out were something that left him in a trance of sorts.

_Rue… Rue is… Scared?_

"Oh?" Zero looked faintly amused, merely dodging another strike from his former pupil. "I thought I taught you not to have emotions in your system, my girl. Haven't you learned anything? If I knew you were going to let feelings back into your life, I should've disposed of you when I had the chance."

"Bastard," the girl hissed darkly, her weapon brushing against his neck, unveiling a thin layer of red from under the flesh. "You are such a—"

"So, you mean to say that the boy with you doesn't know what you are?" A wicked smile plastered on his face, a taunting sneer in his voice. His eyes held a knowing look, a look that saw right through her for what she truly was. "Heh, you really are afraid of what people think of you. It doesn't matter, the people in your life now—minus that bastard Locsin because of the obvious—are bound to know your dirty, little secret."

"That's none of your business on whether Daisya knows about _that_ or not." She snapped back tersely, her blood boiling with anger. Deathtrap radiated its scarlet fire, reacting to her emotion, ready to strike any moment. "And people don't need to know what I did—"

Rue was interrupted as she felt a few, hard hits at her abdomen followed by a blow to her face. She staggered back and clutched her stomach, feeling her legs almost about to give way. She hadn't felt pain like this for a long time, now remembering that Zero was physically strong with his bare hands alone. As she was about to fall to the ground, she suddenly felt a sharp tug from the top of her head. She gritted her teeth, holding back her cries, as she was being lifted up by her short hair to meet face-to-face with her ex-commander.

"Don't act like you're innocent of anything," he snarled at a volume low enough for only the two of them to hear, fisting the locks tightly as he pressed a dagger to her neck. "Because you know what you did. You killed in order to let yourself live, taking other people's lives for your own survival. You are an assassin, your hands are forever stained red, and you will be condemned for it in the eyes of God. Even if you are an Exorcist now, it doesn't mean that there's any hope for you. In people's eyes, you are a murderer."

He had let go of her tresses roughly, only to lift her again—by the neck this time—and slamming her onto a wall. She was finding it hard to breathe with his constricting grip on her, blood dripping from her lips, her vision going hazy.

With a dark chuckle, his free hand still held the dagger intently, ready to aim for a vital point in her body.

This was it, the point of no return; a sure, guaranteed way to die.

Rue's sight slowly dimmed and nothing more could be seen. She was unsure of what happened next, uncertain if she was dead or alive.

Everything faded to black.

* * *

As Zero was about to claim her life with a dagger to the heart, a sharp ache rippled all over his body from head to toe. He could feel something wet falling from his head, the smell of a metallic odor in the air, no doubt blood. With a feral growl, he had released his grip from his unconscious ex-pupil's neck, turning around to face an enraged Daisya, who had launched the Charity Bell at the older man to save Rue from certain death.

"Get your hands off of her." His voice held a threatening tone, dark brown eyes gleaming with murderous intent. "I'm your opponent now."

"Heh…" Smirking widely, Zero got up his daggers in an offensive stance, ready to fight. "Why are you so willing to fight for a girl who's stained? You don't even know what she's done."

"…While it's true that I don't know about Rue's past… It doesn't matter what she did because, no matter what happens…"

Daisya grinned slightly, tossing up the Charity Bell high.

"No matter what happens… She'll always be someone important to me. Because Rue is my friend!"

As soon as the Charity Bell started to get pulled down by gravity, the Turkish male gave it a high kick and it made a solid, direct hit to Zero's face.

* * *

_On that day, they fought a one-on-one. It was an all out brawl and all she could do was sit, motionless on the spot, and watch. The whip, which had been claiming its marks on her red and bleeding back, was lying on the floor, completely forgotten as the sounds of daggers deflecting reverberated all around the room._

_She was hoping he would never find out about the whip lashings, but he was bound to sooner or later. If she was able to feel in that time long ago, a very small part of her probably would have hated herself for being unable to protect him from the horrible truth he discovered. If she couldn't protect herself, at the very least, she should protect him from herself. _

_ But, she couldn't even do that. He found out everything and she wasn't sure what to do anymore. This was what she was afraid of; that if he knew that she was taking such a punishment for her failures, there was no doubt he would fight for her to the very end, risking his life like this._

_Doubt weighed heavily in her heart because she knew she wouldn't be able to face him anymore if he asked about it._

Riley, why? _The eight-year-old thought feebly, fragments of fear, shock, and shame felt somewhere within her numb body. _You weren't supposed to ever find out. You weren't supposed to be fighting Commander Zero to the death right now because of me. You weren't supposed to protect me from the whip. You weren't even supposed to know anything about this at all; you were supposed to find me later after you got rest from your mission, the usual routine. So, why?! Why did you shield me like that?!

Now, I can't look at you anymore… I'm stained, I'm soiled… You know now that I'm… _Weak_…

_"What the Hell were you doing that to Rue for, huh, Zero?!" Riley shouted with rage, his red eyes burning with fury when pushing his dagger into the other male's shoulder. "Explain yourself right now!"_

_ "I was…" A seemingly innocent smile blossomed on Zero's face; then, it turned into a malevolent smirk as he made a deep cut into Riley's left forearm. "I was just punishing her for being incompetent, that's all."_

_ "The fuck?! Incompetent my ass, you bastard! She might've made a lot of mistakes in this job, but to whip her as a punishment is ludicrous, not to mention going too far! You're destroying her!"_

_ "Oh? I believe I didn't do anything wrong. This is the only way for her to stop disobeying my orders because she was so difficult to deal with. Like all of those times when she showed emotions; I told her to get rid of them once she became a member of this family because of the killing arts, she wouldn't listen, and she'd get whippings until there was red all over the floor. And now, look at her." His smirk was an unbearable thing to look at; his indigo eyes shone with viciousness. "She finally stopped feeling; there's no trace of emotion left, only an unchanging face that's suitable for killing. It's not 'destroying' her, Locsin, it's shaping her into a perfect fighting machine. After all, in order to survive this life she's living now, all she can do to overcome her hardships is to stain her hands in dark red sin."_

_ "You sick, twisted son of a bitch…!"_

_ And the fight continued on, wrath being Riley's motivation to kill. Even while unleashing his rage, he was still able to concentrate on his objective, parrying Zero's blows with precision._

_ "Heh… I told you to get rid of your emotions too, right, Locsin? Try listening to your elders for once!"_

_ A dagger penetrated into Riley's side, which got out a mere grunt as a response, but he was still keeping his face straight as if to hide the pain. Despite such a deep injury, he still fought on as if unaffected. When seeing this, Rue was—if slightly—horrified._

Riley, stop…! Stop fighting for me, I don't want you to get hurt or die because of me, so please…

_A quiet laugh escaped into the open, causing Zero to stop his assault. Though confused, his eyes widened as he saw a slight smile on Riley's face._

_ "What the Hell are you laughing about, fool?!" _

_ "You really… Don't get it, do you?"_

_ Their eye contact became intense, red burning into indigo._

_ "What don't I get?"_

_ As if to answer his question, Riley's dagger dove down to attack him. As his dagger blocked it, they were caught in a struggle – silver being pushed and pressured against each other by the hands that wielded them. As they continued this, their eyes locked onto each other, Riley's knife was slowly pushing Zero's back._

_ "W-Where is this sudden strength coming from…?!" This shocked the commander as, normally, the other male tended to have trouble doing something like this. _

_ "Then, you don't get it at all."_

_ "Don't mock me, you fool! What nonsense are you blabbering on about?!"_

_ "Well, let me see… You say emotions aren't supposed to be in this job because it hinders us, but guess what?"_

_ Once more, he caught that faint smile on the younger assassin's face; that stupid, lopsided, taunting smile—_

_ "The reason why I've gotten powerful like this now…"_

_ And there, he had swiped his knife to repel the other away, sending it flying as he pinned the taller man on a wall with his free hand. The dagger slithered up to the commander's chest, on the ready to do its job._

_ "It's, ironically, because of these emotions. You wouldn't understand it, but it's true. You've done a very bad thing, hurting Rue like this. So now, you'll pay for it."_

_ Silver plunged deeply into clothing and flesh, where the heart resided in his body, red rivers pouring out from the stab._

_ Zero wheezed out a bitter laugh, his dark eyes scrutinizing the other male's with an unspeakable negativity._

_ "I may be gone, bastard Locsin, but I will make this clear…" A dark grin curved onto his face, his sight getting dim with black. "I will never be a memory. No matter what, she will… Never… Be human…"_

_ Glassy dark eyes, the last breath taken in, all movement ceased._

_ Commander Zero Black had officially fallen._

_ Withdrawing the small blade and sheathing it, Riley had let go of the corpse with a light crumple to the floor. Turning around, he headed towards his friend and knelt down to her level. When he met her dull eyes, it seemed that there was a mutual understanding between them just like that. As much as Rue was good at concealing her feelings now, he couldn't help but sense just an inkling of wonder from her. _

_A small, shaking right hand reached up to his face; recoiling at first, but she still had a small piece of courage to continue. Her fingertips pressed gently on his left cheek where the whip lashed him, a red line its mark on claiming his skin. She was aware, if vaguely, that the cut was going to turn into a permanent scar._

_And it was all because he protected her._

_At that moment, the boy's surprised eyes saw a shred of emotion from the lifelessness of hers, a fragment of it glowing faintly. _

_Sadness? Regret? Self-loathing? _

_He couldn't tell. For all he knew, it could be a combination of all three sentiments._

_ It was as if she was telling him this with that expression: "You're hurt. Are you okay? I'm sorry…"_

_ He only nodded at her unspoken question, smiling a little to reassure her that he was fine and there was nothing for her to worry about anymore. His large hand went up to her smaller one, overlapping and squeezing it tenderly, conveying an unsaid affection he felt for her._

_ There wasn't much time left as, sooner or later, the rest of their comrades would find out about this. As far as the two could both analyze the situation, there was a high chance they would be executed for Zero's death, albeit his murder was on justified terns. So, they had to escape and fast._

_ "Why…?"_

_ As he carried her onto his back, preparing to depart from their Hellhole, he caught that single word from the heavy stillness. It came out as a quiet, hoarse vehemence, almost as if she was on the verge of tears. It may be because she really wanted to hold this all by herself without putting him in danger or it could be because he got hurt—and was about to get killed—for her sake; perhaps, it was both._

_ There was no response from him; at least, at first._

_ "Why, Riley…? You…"_

_ The young girl's words trailed off into nothing, unable to complete her sentence. He didn't face her as they went out the balcony window and climbed down the vines. After dropping by Rue's room for a moment to get her bag, they resumed their getaway, descending to the grounds. In a hasty retreat in the black of night, he finally found his answer to her question._

_ "It's because I care for you too much to let you die, Rue."_

* * *

Darkness turned to light; monochrome became vivid color. The details finally sharpened to normal through a wave of dizziness and aches. A raucous cough escaped from shallow breathing, a slight tang of iron in her mouth with red dripping out. Slowly getting up from the dirty ground, disorientation almost immediately switched to vigilance as she suddenly remembered the present dilemma. Flicking her head this way and that, her eyes found what she was looking for, though it was from a distance.

Daisya looked badly wounded, but he was still able to hold up on handling the Charity Bell. And Zero was no longer Zero; now, he had morphed into an Akuma. From her point of view, Rue couldn't tell what shape her ex-leader took when revealing his Akuma transformation; but, she did take good note that his daggers had fused with his Akuma body, replacing where his human hands once were.

Daisya had been able to give powerful damage to Zero with the Charity Bell, especially notable when he used the Resonance command. Some parts of Zero's body were missing because of this (he had taken a lot of hits all over), but it seemed that, no matter how fatal the wounds were, the damn Akuma just wouldn't die.

"Damn, you're so annoying." Zero the Akuma snarled irritably, pointing a knife-shaped limb towards the younger male. "Why don't you go die already?!"

"The same goes to you, ugly. And I already told you," the other replied calmly, a fatigued but smug grin on his face while he wiped blood from the corner of his mouth. "It's because I'll protect Rue, no matter what, so you won't be able to take me down so easily."

"Tch, insolent fool! Do you think such emotions will save you from the face of death?!"

_Daisya…_

Rue had caught this as she dragged herself forward, a slight wince of pain escaping every now and then. Those words awakened something in her, giving her strength to move on and walk forward in spite of her current condition.

_Daisya, you've been there for me… You've always been there for me… So…_

Another kick for the Charity Bell, a large hole in the Akuma's stomach and blood gushing out. Daisya wheezed shallow breaths, sore tiredness felt all over his body.

_Damn. _He thought bleakly, feeling himself getting worn down by the second. _I gave a lot of hits, but the bastard's got a lot of stamina at hand. How long will it take until he falls?_

There was a misstep in the male Exorcist's footing as he barely dodged the assault and he fell to the floor, scowling all the more as he felt sharp pains go up his left leg. He tried to get up, but he had toppled over to the ground again.

"What, can't get up?" Akuma Zero taunted, his daggered limbs held up high to prepare the boy's demise. "Then, I guess you'll die a fool's death, being controlled by your useless emotions all because of that girl!"

With his twisted ankle and weakened body, the Charity Bell keeping him company to the very end, Daisya had no choice but to accept his fate.

_Is this how my life will end? Then, if so, I'm okay with it. Just as long as everyone else in the Black Order is safe… Just as long as Rue keeps living…_

Nothing happened. Bewildered and unaware, Daisya looked up to see what was going on. Zero was about to attack him, but something had stopped his incoming assail – a streak of bright green; then, the next was getting both of his arms cut off. As the Akuma shrieked in anguish, the surprised male looked around. From his right, in close proximity of the Akuma stood a wobbling figure, gloved fists raised up.

"Rue…"

Being called, the female Exorcist panted heavily, Deathtrap and Lifeline still glowing green from the wind blades they had summoned.

"Daisya…" She called out hoarsely, coughing in between. "His weakness…"

"Huh?" He blinked, unsure of what she meant.

"His weak point… Zero's… Aim for the heart…"

It clicked together, an immediate understanding (though it does make one wonder if Akuma really do have a heart as they are the Earl's tools). Wordlessly, Daisya grabbed the Charity Bell in his hands, a blank look on his face.

Laughing cruelly, Zero reminded him after his pain subsided, "You're useless without your feet when it comes to your Innocence! So, don't even think about it!"

The young boy only smirked, which got the monster off-guard.

This was considered a gamble as both Exorcists were weak and exhausted.

But, better trying than nothing at all, right?

Daisya tossed the round bell high into the air with no time to lose. Then, getting up hastily in spite of the sprained ankle, he kicked the Charity Bell with the last of his strength from his good—right—leg before falling back into place once more. As it aimed towards its target, only one word had been uttered in the deadly silence.

"Resonance!"

Having come in contact with the Akuma's heart (or where the heart's supposed to be, anyway), the moment this command was shouted out, powerful sound waves pulsed all over the room. And Zero screamed an earsplitting scream as his whole being shattered from the flood of the noise.

Now, Zero was truly no longer of this world.

In a slow and unsteady pace, Rue trembled in every step of the way as she approached Daisya. When she had finally got physically close to him, she crumpled to the ground next to him, feeling that she could no longer hold herself up either. With her head tucked away in her knees, she was still shaking, her breath short.

Feeling overwhelmed with weariness himself, the male Exorcist's arm extended out to her direction, his hand grabbing her head and pushing it down onto his shoulder. She didn't protest nor pull away, maybe because of being so drained, but it did give her a little shock.

Although, it's contradictive to say that some part of her wasn't all that shocked about it. Maybe it's because she's been changing lately.

But, she had to admit that it felt good to have such an action done, even if it's only platonic.

"…It's over." Daisya said faintly, the first words exchanged between them after such a long silence. He still kept her head on his shoulder, giving her a small smile. "It's over, Rue… So… It's okay now."

Rue seemed to have understood his message as she nestled her head deeper into his shoulder, doing so out of her own accord. It felt good doing that; it felt like she was giving into the emotion of feeling safe, like she felt light and unburdened with no problems at all. Closing her eyes, she felt like she can finally breathe.

"Thank you… Daisya…"

* * *

Making their travel back to the Black Order, the two Exorcists were in silence on the train. Sensing something was about to come up, Armando dragged away a protesting Edina to leave the two alone.

Slowly, little by little, Rue began to reveal everything to Daisya. What she remembered of her family life, the assassin life she had, everything. And Daisya took everything what she was saying in, the expression he often showed was shock, utter shock. Sometimes, when seeing this, the girl felt discouraged to tell anymore. But, after that skirmish with Zero, she still kept on with it, remembering that she had promised her teammate she would speak to him about her background.

When she had finished, she looked at him dead set in the eyes, even if she felt scared of being looked at in a different way.

To her surprise, the older body grabbed her head and placed it onto his shoulder without saying anything. One arm was around her small frame, the hand squeezing her shoulder lightly as if to communicate something deeper than what words can say.

"You…" He began quietly, pulling her closer to him. "You… You've been through a lot. It's no wonder you've decided to keep your background secret, especially of the profession that you were in before."

"And now, you know why I've kept quiet about it." She sighed, closing her eyes. "I don't want anyone to look at me differently as they see me now. So…"

"I know. I won't tell anyone about it, okay?"

"Not like you're the type to. But, nonetheless, I told you everything you needed to know."

"Hey, Rue?"

"Mmm?" She looked at him with one eye, though her face was obscure with long bangs. "What is it, Daisya?"

"You… You are my sister. And you always will be, no matter what."

* * *

"Riley, you got a delivery." In France, Armando had dropped his way into the passage of the Underground Society in the main office, flashing its insignia on his clothes for the commander to see.

"What is it?" A sketchbook was given to him on his desk, which caused confused red eyes to meet cool, pale blue ones.

"Your sister wanted me to give that to you on her way back from her Exorcist mission. It was something that she was working on for a long time, so I think you'll be able to appreciate what's inside. Besides, she figured it was about time she sent you something like this." And the male Finder turned away to leave before the assassin could say anything.

Confused, with gloved hands, he looked into the sketchbook with curious eyes. Then, from what he could decipher of it as his eyes scanned the pages, they were detailed sketches of people in uniform. With each sketch were names like Lenalee, Kanda, Lavi, and others. It all clicked together from all of the letters Rue had sent him.

These were people from the Black Order. Her friends.

The surprised look melted into a warm smile.

* * *

And so, another crisis in the other band of Exorcists… Lala wanting to live Guzoru until the end… However…

"Take that doll's heart now!" A now conscious Kanda had barked this out, glaring daggers at a wide eyed Allen. "Hah… Hah… What did we come here for?!"

"I… I can't do it." The other boy confirmed with a hesitant, but strong, decision. "Sorry, I just can't do it."

The response was his Exorcist coat thrown at him.

"This coat isn't a pillow for the wounded…!!!" Kanda reminded him sharply, regarding him with hard eyes. "It's the uniform of an Exorcist!!!"

As grim gray eyes gazed at the jacket in his arms, the older boy threw his own, tattered jacket over his shoulders to put on.

"There must be sacrifices that must be made, rookie."

"Please!" Lala begged, eyes pleading. "Don't take it…"

As Mugen was pointing at her, Guzoru shielded his doll with a mumble of, "Stop…"

"Then, I will be the one!"

Turning around at hi companion's words, Kanda met Allen's eyes, Mugen pointed to him this time, right at the Rose Crest.

"Will it enough if I am the 'sacrifice' for these two? Until then, I cannot remove the Innocence! If I… Destroy the Akuma, there isn't a problem, is there?! To make sacrifices all the time in order to win this war… It's futile!"

The provoking words earned a fist to his face.

"Master Kanda!" Finder Toma cried out, horrified on what was happening as both fell to the ground.

"How incredibly naïve… Selling yourself out for some pitiful strangers…?" At first, this was said in a cold whisper. But, in no time, Kanda's teeth bared as he wore a mask of fury. "ISN'T ANYTHING IMPORTANT TO YOU?!"

Not meeting his eyes, the younger boy slowly got his words out.

"There was something important… I lost it… Long ago… It's pitiful… I don't have a noble reason…" A feeble laugh, a sad smile. "I just don't want to see something like this happen. That's all."

A deep, shuddering breath; then, slowly, pouring out the honesty.

"Because I am a small man, my heart is moved by what's in front of my eyes, not what the whole world needs. I can't just abandon what's there in front of me." A strong, firm voice this time, getting out what he wished for. "I want to protect everything I can!"

A whistling sound; then, a curved blade piercing the old human and the doll. Then, Allen being unable to reach them in time, a rock had been hurtled towards the two, leaving a dusty explosion. The sandy floor began to move of its own accord; then, a pillar of it shot from behind the younger Exorcist.

"I got the Innocence!" The Akuma cackled gleefully, the Innocence hanging onto the middle claw of the creature's right hand, piercing Gozuru. In the other hand was Lala, her eyes devoid of emotion. Both had dropped to the floor.

"La… Lala…" Guzoru called her name weakly, wheezing for breath, pain all over his body. "Lala…"

No response from the doll.

"Oooh, so THIS is Innocence…"

But, the musings had stopped as the monster sensed a dangerous aura from nearby.

"Return it. Return the Innocence." Allen commanded in a voice unlike his, his claw-like Innocence morphing to the will of his emotions. A cold look on his face, with the normal gray eye and the red one that can see Akuma in human bodies. "Return it."

Metamorphosis on the Innocence.

"M… Master Walker's anti-Akuma weapon… It's going to change!"

"Exorcists who use a Parasite Type anti-Akuma weapon can manipulate, according to their emotions." Kanda observed, watching with a mild fascination. "His Innocence is reacting to his anger."

_Even so… Why is he emitting such murderous rage?! The weapon is taking on that shape and image!_

Without even so much of a thought, Allen leapt into the air and was ready to dive towards the Akuma.

"Idiot!" Kanda cried out to him, alarmed. "Your weapon hasn't fully formed yet…!"

The transformation was actually completed, the claw now a laser cannon ready to launch. And it fired, multiple light beams shooting towards the Akuma.

"GYAA!!"

It looked like the light beams can also be used for foundation for that, where Allen had blasted them towards the Akuma, he was standing on a pile of them.

With a calm look, he heard the shifting of sand moving about, seeing that the Akuma had hidden itself and dug through it to move around.

"You can't hit me when I shift into sand~"

Another shot from the laser cannon Innocence at the same time the Akuma launched its claw like limb towards the Exorcist. Both projectiles missed, the trident shaped arm having caused a large hole in the room ceiling. While jumping down, in midair, Allen met the Akuma's sandy face springing up to him. But, the Akuma passed through him, trapping the Exorcist in his grimy stomach.

"Kekeke, gotcha!! It's over for you!!!" He declared, patting his stomach in victory.

_Can't see anything. _Allen observed from the darkness, trying to formulate a plan.

"Hmmm… How many times do I have to stab you before you die?"

Lifting the claw shaped arm, he had pierced his own body, thinking for sure that he had landed a hit on Allen.

"Master Walker--!!!" Toma called from down below, in panic.

"He's fine." Kanda clarified calmly, watching the battle.

_I can still feel… His murderous rage. It hasn't disappeared. _

"Wha…?" To his utter shock, Allen passed right through his body from behind, blocking—and breaking—the Akuma's hand with the laser cannon.

"My hand…" It mumbled in disbelief.

_The Innocence showed my mind what to do. Then, my mind showed my body. How to use the new anti-Akuma weapon._

With a smirk, the portal of the laser cannon shrunk, but a single light beam popped out of the hole, making it look like a sword of sorts. As he jumped down, he split the Akuma down the middle in half.

And where the sword had pierced, the sand skin came off.

"Ah! My sand skin!"

"So, this is your real body, huh…"

Once he landed down on his knees, Allen took aim, his laser cannon Innocence glowing darkly.

"I'm not giving you a chance to change your appearance again. This is it for you."

"I still have your arm!"

And both the claw and the laser cannon had fired their blows simultaneously. The blast of the cannon was a lot more powerful than what the Akuma anticipated, his claw still up in a vain attempt to shield itself.

And as Allen fought, Guzoru's words came and went…

_"I… Am an ugly human. I didn't want Lala to be broken by others."_

_ "Lala, when I die… Let my hand be the one that breaks you…"_

_ "I … Loved you, Lala."_

An image of the two embracing forming in his mind.

"UNFORGIVEABLE!!" Allen cried out in enrage.

And the Akuma was horrified to see his claw damaged by his Exorcist opponent.

"Sh… Shit! What? Even though I used his hand… Why did I lose…!?" A hysterical fit began to show.

_It's just you. It's your limit. _Kanda answered in his thoughts, still observing the skirmish keenly. _Even with the same weapon, the users are different. The only one who can use the true power of the anti-Akuma weapon is the Exorcist. As the Innocence synchronizes more with the Exorcist, the more powerful he will become_.

Suddenly, the Innocence morphed back to the deformed and red left hand as Allen coughed out blood, his shoulders heaving forward.

_Rebound! My body can't keep up with the morphed weapon!_

"GOTCHA!!!" The crazed Akuma began to make his move, but the blade of Mugen blocked his assault.

"Kanda!?" Well, this was a surprise.

"Che!" Then, he turned to yell at his companion/enemy, who got quite the frightened shock from it. "You useless idiot… What do you think you're doing, running out of power at the last minute!! You were the bastard who babbled on about protecting those two!!"

He was still managing to keep the Akuma's claw in place, all the while lecturing Allen.

"I **hate **the way naïve people like you do things… And even more so, I **hate **people who don't keep their promises!"

"Ha… Ha. Whichever it is… You still hate me…" The younger boy wiped blood from the corner of his mouth, smiling a little. "It's not like I've run out of power or anything like that… I'm just taking a small break."

"…Everything you do is irritating…"

At this, he had completely cut off the claw of the Akuma's limb.

_Give me one more shot! Innocence, activate! _Once more, the left hand had transformed into the laser cannon.

"SCATTER!!!" The two shouted out, intending to take down their opponent once and for all.

Hell's Insects and the laser beams obliterated the Akuma, causing an explosion outside.

The last word of him was a scream: "E… EXORCISTS!!!"

* * *

The explosion had caused a large hole in the city of Martel, the Akuma extinguished into black ashes, and the Innocence skyward in the dark night. By the time it had fallen back in the hole, the two Exorcists were spent and lying on the floor. It had landed right besides Allen's head. His broken left hand began to reach for the Innocence.

"Please… Live… Once more. For Lala's sake…"

* * *

The next day, reporting…

"Aaah… Blue skies. Emerald green ocean. Por favor~ Italia~"

"So what?" Kanda asked grumpily into the portable phone (courtesy of Toma), removing a bandage from his face, sitting up on his hospital bed.

"'What?' Hehe." The smiling face of Supervisor Komui Lee disappeared as he started to howl his grievances, stamping endless piles of paper while talking onto the phone. "I'M JEALOUS, DAMN IT!! It has been three days since you defeated that Akuma! What are you doing?! Everyone is using me as a slave! They don't let me go outside. It's like I'm a prisoner in the dungeon of some castle."

"Supervisor~ We need your seal on these too~" The whines of the Science Dept. were endless.

"Stop shouting. Shut up." Now, he was irritated on having to put up with the supervisor's whining when it wasn't his idea to stay this long in the first place. " If you've got a problem with it, complain to him! Actually, Komui, I don't get along with him!"

"You don't get along with anyone. So… Where is Allen?"

"Che! He's still in the city with that doll!"

"That doll called Lala…" His tone changed to a serious, contemplating one. "It'll be soon, right?"

"Probably. _It _ has already been working for five hundred years. It's not the same doll. It'll stop by itself."

"Wait, wait… What are you doing?!" The doctor cried out, seeing Kanda ready to leave the clinic.

"I'm leaving." He replied bluntly, pointing to Toma. "Claim your money there."

"No, no!" The doctor insisted. "Your condition is critical! It should take you five months to recover completely!"

From the other side of the phone, in the Black Order, Reever was still giving Komui more piles of paperwork. And from there, they can still hear arguing between Kanda and the doctor.

"I'm healed."

"There's no way!!"

What a shock for the doctor to get the bundles of bandages thrown at him and seeing that, indeed, a shirtless Kanda had no more markings or wounds, save for the tattoo on his body.

"Thanks for everything." And with that, the Japanese Exorcist walked out.

"How can that be… The wounds have disappeared…"

"Your injuries took quite a while this time, Kanda." Komui said slowly.

"But, I'm healed."

"But, since it took some time, it means it's starting to deteriorate. You can't afford to misgauge your life reserve…"

And both knew what they meant, the atmosphere tense. But, Kanda decided to break it.

"So… What do you want? If this is a prank call, I'm hanging up."

"GYAAA! You! Reever, did you hear that?! Those sharp words!!" The supervisor whined.

"Huh?" And the Squad Leader had no idea what his superior was complaining about.

"You've got it wrong…" The supervisor began, now talking about the true objective. "The next mission…"

* * *

_When the heart was returned to Lala, she began to move. But…_

"Master Human… How about a song…?" The doll gazed at the motionless body of the almost dead Guzoru.

_ It was no longer "Lala." It was the doll that Guzoru first met._

Weakly, "Lala" began to reach out to him, talking all the while.

"Master Human… I am a doll… I sing… Master Human…"

And the flashback of old memories unfolded…

_"Guzoru… What song should I sing next?"_

_ "Look!" A younger Guzoru cried out in delight as he fixed the doll's hair. "Look how beautiful it's become, Lala!_

_ "Lala?"_

_ "Can I call you that, Ms. Ghost?"_

_ "Boy, how about a song?" The first time Guzoru and Lala met, when Lala looked monstrous._

With tears of joy and a smile, old Guzoru had said, "Would you sing for me…? Lala. I love you."

His final words, no longer living anymore.

"Are you asleep?" Lala asked quietly, touching his face. "Then, I'll sing a lullaby."

_From then on, the doll continued to sing the lullaby._

* * *

Meanwhile from outside the place, Allen was sitting on the steps, head resting into his knees. He didn't think he would hear anything from his partner, but a familiar voice did catch his attention.

"What are you sleeping for? Stay on guard."

Without looking up at Kanda, he mumbled, "Huh…? What's someone who's supposed to take five months to recover doing here?"

"I'm healed."

"No way…"

"Shut up." With that, he took a seat on a lower step. "I got a message from Komui. I'm going ahead on my next mission. You deliver the Innocence back to Headquarters."

"Understood." He replied at once, still not looking up.

The older boy took at a glance at his enemy a moment; then, looked away, looking a little annoyed.

"If it's hard to bear, then stop the doll. It isn't Lala anymore, right?"

"But, it's their promise. The only one who can break Lala is Guzoru."

"You're naïve." He sighed, a serious look on his face. "We're destroyers, not saviors."

This finally got him to look up, a sad smile on his face.

"…I know that." The younger boy answered. "But I…"

The song has ceased into silence. And both knew, they both knew, that it was finally the end.

"The song stopped…"

Going back into the cave to check it out, the Exorcist saw that a frozen Lala had laid a dead Guzoru onto her lap all the while she had been singing. All was still and quiet.

_Three nights after Guzoru died, the doll stopped._

As Allen bended down on one knee to check on the doll, Lala began to speak with a smile, being back to her old self if only for a brief moment. Gray eyes were wide with surprise at this.

"Thank you. For letting me sing until I break. The promise has been fulfilled."

And Lala collapsed into his arms, finally unmoving.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Kanda asked from the entrance, he and Toma having gone to check up on the younger Exorcist.

As Allen had his eyes buried into his right arm, wiping away the tears that began to flow out, he only said this:

"Kanda… Although what you said is true, I want to become a destroyer who can save."

* * *

Hitomi: *DIES* I AM DONE. FINALLY DONE.

And I'm so, so, so, so sorry!!! I've been really busy with schoolwork! I also had writer's block, so it couldn't be helped. And also, I got sick recently! So, I'm really sorry for those who waited so long for this chapter to be written!

I had to keep putting it off due to all of this and I really had no time to look into the DGM manga for reference of the Allen/Kanda mission! So, I just got done with that portion just now! I'm really sorry! *bows*

And now, where to take the story from here… I know I plan on writing the Rewinding Town arc, especially that's when Lavi will make his appearance again after so long. Goodness… Wonder what'll happen to Rue that time, then.

The flashback in this chapter regarding Rue, Riley, and Zero… It's all based on the pieces of the nightmare she's had from Chapters VII and X. I decided to wrap up that nightmare by putting it in this chapter as this was when Rue is finally facing Zero head on and all on her own. And it's also revealed that the reason why Finder Armando is able to deliver stuff from Rue to Riley in the Underground Society so easily (really, despite this guild being hidden from the public eye) is because Armando is an assassin himself in the guild. So, I suppose this makes him the only other assassin, aside from Riley, to know that Rue's actually female. Rue's aware of this, which is why she always relies on Armando to deliver stuff to Riley when she has something for him.

Anyway… *smiles a little* Look forward to the next chapter~ And I'll try not to make another long hiatus like this AGAIN!


	26. Memory Lane

Hitomi: *CRASH* Hahaha… Wow. Apparently, this got a lot of feedback. XD Should I even be surprised anymore or what?

But yeah, some have been saying not to put the canon parts in this fanfic since you all know what happens (even I do, after all)… Really, though? I can't help myself but be a perfectionist about this whole thing. *sighs* Especially when hearing Rue being a Sue really, really irritates me to no end. That's also one of the reasons why I added in the canon scenes: so that I can ward off such accusations because I've been told one particular Sue trait would have to be hogging the spotlight.

But, I created Rue and I strongly believe she's not a Sue. So, I'll keep believing in her potential because I'm the one who had put so much work into her.

Midnight Hikari – Well, I do want to keep Rue a well rounded character, after all. So, I want her to interact with others as much as possible, especially when it's beneficial for her character development, her personal growth as a person. Although, we both know she's not the type to socialize, so I'm glad that she's developed this way. *laughs* Must've shocked people on how low her Innocence synchronization was so low, so I'm not surprised. I wanted her to develop that way too as a new Exorcist. Rue's past… I admit it is a dark one. I know it is. When creating her, I was scared to know what her past was like, but there had to be a reason why she is the way she is. Of course, I can safely say not all of Rue's past memories are bad; she does have good memories, it's just that they're still suppressed since, up to now, she just vaguely remembered her family life. Goes to show you how much she's changed when you read about her opening up to Daisya. Zero… *shakes her head* Yeah, he was really pissing me off when I was writing him in the fanfic (yet I'm the one who created him *SHOT*), being such a bastard to both Rue and Riley back then, so I'm glad he just died a second time (he deserves that much). *grins* Ahhh, Riley~ Yeah, I had fun creating him, so I'm hoping he'll have a little more of a role in this. And we all know what happened in the Allen/Kanda mission! I admit, that was the first part in the DGM manga that made me cry when I was reading! Yep~ I'll do my best in school, then! And no problem, I love responding to reviews.

Peter the Otaku – Wow! Long time, no write, really! I'm happy to have heard from you, how have you been? Well, as a developed OC, Rue does have weakness… So, I couldn't have her save the day all of the time because that wouldn't be fair. *nods* So, I wanted Daisya to be there for her by saving her like that. Everyone does have a moment of weakness and Rue's was right at that moment, so she really needed saving~ It makes me happy the way those two are towards each other, so you're right when you say Daisya is a good big brother. *facepalms* And yikes… Grammar mistakes again!? ^^; I really have to watch out for those… Man, I gotta go back to edit one of these days. Yep, can't wait 'til Lavi comes back!

little-L.A.M. – Hehehe, yosh! The power of friendship, indeed~ *smiles* Writing friendship scenes inspire me, especially of what I've been blessed with in real life. This scenario makes me happy because, through my personal experience, I always keep this in mind every time I write a scene involving friendship: "No matter how difficult things get, how bleak everything is, how it feels like the world's against you… Friends are always there for you, no matter what."

Soulless Ghosty – Well, that's not the only reason, only partially. The things that keep me off from writing chapters are school and other real life situations. But, writing the canon in here is just partially the reason why chapters take so long to update. Yeah, it may be unnecessary, but at least I'm doing this for a reason, right? Mmm, it's true that I've to put things in Rue's perspective sometimes, but yeah… I just don't want to make it all about her, you know? And she's not going to accompany Allen on every mission he has. And yeah, chapter's on the way.

KinKitsune01 – Glad to hear your feedback. *smiles* I'm glad that you like the story so far and you think Rue is interesting. As said to Soulless Ghosty, I know that writing the canon in here does take a lot of work (and maybe, yes, making it unnecessary), but I'm still doing it for a reason. But yeah, I understand what you're saying, so I'll keep your constructive criticism in mind.

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

* * *

**Unravel**

**XXVI**

**Memory Lane**

[_Even if things are settled now, I still feel incomplete somewhere inside._

_Slowly, I'm trying to find things that I lost from long ago._

_So, I want to continue to search for "myself,"_

_The self I never knew in the past of white._]

* * *

In the open bath, three months ago after Allen returned from his first mission…

"You'd think that Sir Komui would learn something out of this by now when it comes to his inventions…" Rue mumbled with a sigh, her hands entangled in her short hair as suds formed from it, legs wading into the bath's water. She shook her head at the earlier discovery of the debris site that had been made from the Komurin II incident. Rue knew the scenario, but not of the outcome since, in an attempt to save Allen from the robot, she had been knocked out by an anesthetic the damn invention injected in her. When she came to, she was told Lenalee saved the Black Order from the impending doom.

"Nope, you already know he's always like this." Lenalee let out a sigh of her own and shook her head along with her friend, scrubbing her body with soap from a washcloth. "So, kicking him off from the highest floor along with his invention should leave him to think of what he's done."

"And knowing him, he's probably weeping on how his creation got destroyed." Going into the open bath, letting the warmth soak into her flesh and aching muscles, Rue was floating on her back.

Lenalee giggled softly in wholehearted agreement, knowing exactly that was what her brother would do.

"Though, you have to admit," the tomboy mused, feeling her friend's glance on her. "Even though Allen lost against Komurin II, it was still brave of him to try to save you and the rest of the Black Order."

"Well, yes." The other smiled a little, thinking back on the incident. Though, she, too, had blacked out from most of the spectacle, she did wake up when hearing Allen's voice. Rue knew this just as well since Lenalee herself told her this. "Quite reckless, though."

"I know that, not even I would go dive into danger like that since I'm the type to be cautious about the scenario and not get my cover blown."

"That's true. You and him work in different styles when it comes to dire situations."

"But, even so, what he did took guts. No sign of hesitation or anything, he showed his spirit." There seemed to be a light tone in Rue's voice when she said this, her eyes bright. Lenalee noticed this too, thinking in her own thoughts that this was her friend's subtle way of saying that she was proud of the new Exorcist. "That's what true strength is all about."

Lenalee smiled softly at this, perhaps knowing Rue and Allen could get along well if circumstances allowed it.

"Well, it's a good thing Kanda didn't kill him off on his first mission." There was a sigh again in the tomboy's voice, her face scowling at the thought of her rival. "Glad to see Allen's in one piece, but it does make one wonder if that means Kanda has something darker up his sleeve."

"You and your conspiracy theories. Or maybe you're just paranoid." The other girl shook her head, bursting into a high peal of laughter because of how Rue could be when it came to Kanda. "Don't worry, I'm sure Kanda wouldn't kill Allen off, no matter how much he says he would."

"That's what they all say." The other scoffed, rolling her eyes, which earned her a playful hit on her head.

The two chitchatted while cleaning themselves, the atmosphere relaxing. Then, the topic of Rue's mission came up in the conversation.

"So, how was the mission to Spain?" Lenalee began cautiously, floating around in the bath too. "Did being with Daisya help you feel at ease, even just a little bit?"

"Funny that you mention that, but I suppose it's okay since it's over now." The other replied quietly, thinking back on it. "But, anyway… You can say that. To tell you the truth, though…"

At this, the younger girl began to tell the story of the mission without any sentiment or drama, being as blunt as possible about it, as the older female intently listened to the tale, her eyes wide at some parts. Of course, when it comes to something like this, a Q & A was in order.

"So, the mission was truly connected to your past, after all?"

"Yes, it was. As I told you earlier, the one who was causing chaos in Valencia was my ex-commander who made me an assassin to survive in the world. I told you about my past a year ago, so you know that well enough."

"Who could've been the one to summon him back into the world as an Akuma, though?"

"No idea. Probably one of my ex-comrades wished him back to life, most likely being one of those who went against Riley and myself since Riley did murder ex-Commander Zero. Then again…"

"What's wrong?" Lenalee noticed the other girl frowning slightly.

"When Riley killed Zero off the first time, his dying words were, 'I will never be a memory. No matter what, she will… Never… Be human…' Perhaps it was a strong desire of his that the Millennium Earl, or who knows what else, granted his wish to come back to life to torment me for what I did. Either way, it was a manifestation of the past coming back to haunt me in the present. But, it's over and I won't let it get to me." She confirmed with a strong, determined voice, nodding curtly as if making a vow on it. "Not anymore. I still have a purpose to find and I won't stop until I do. And I definitely won't let the past stop me from looking either because I'm still living right now."

The older female was in silent awe, seeing the resolve in her friend's eyes.

"Rue…"

"Anyway," Rue sighed quietly, looking a bit more relaxed as she gave her comrade a questioning look, a soft gaze. "Shall we go see Jerry and eat? You know, the usual?"

"Yeah," the other nodded, smiling softly as both got out from the bath to dry themselves with towels and dress up. "Like always."

* * *

Three months later…

_Around November, don't know what the date is here._

_ Been a while since writing in here, huh? Sorry for lack of updates. Wow, more than a month's worth too, I'm really sorry about that. Things have been so busy around here that I really don't know what's been happening these days. It's like my days are a blur altogether. _

_ Though, I really promise I'll write a lot more when my next mission today comes up. If there will be for today, that is._

_But, there's a certain highlight that I want you to know about, that I haven't had a chance to write in here. Three months ago, I got back from a mission in Spain and it had connected to my past, after all. I thought there was something suspicious about it right from the beginning of it and my intuition was correct. Lenalee didn't accompany me on this one due to assistant duties, Kanda already had a mission with Allen, and Marie was also on a mission of his own. So, I had Daisya accompanying me, though I had been thankful and reluctant about it. _

_ Who would've thought I'd face my past directly, though, in the form of my dead ex-Commander who had been revived into an Akuma? For a moment, I thought I would really die since I did lose my consciousness for a while. By the time I woke up, Daisya was fighting Zero for my sake, going so far as to take him on all on his own…_

_ And for that, I am truly grateful because I know now how much Daisya cares for me. Always being there for me, even at such a crucial moment like that… I think I understand that completely now, on what it's like to have someone willing to stand by you, even risking their own life for you…_

_ Not that I never knew such a concept before. Riley did that for me countless times when we were younger. But, I still thank him for that because it's why I'm living now. _

_ I wonder if you're still doing okay. Even though you've been away for about a year now, I still wonder if you're doing all right. Have you gotten enough sleep? Have you eaten a lot? Is Sir Bookman giving you a hard time in duties again? Remember to always conserve your strength when you need it the most. I hope you didn't get attacked by Akuma or anything. _

_ When you come back here… I… _

In her room, writing away in the diary, fingers hovered in midair above the book, in their grasp a pen. But, the left hand looked to be withdrawing, a shaking hesitation.

A gray blur knocked Rue at the back of her head, causing her to fall off her bed, the journal on her lap following her shortly after. With a groan, sitting up, she whipped her head around until she landed her eyes on a familiar item, scowling at it.

"Deja…" A low growl escaped from the pocket of her throat as her right hand rubbed where the golem had hit her. "Why must you always bug me at such a crucial moment?! It's like I can't even think for myself anymore!"

The sentient gadget gave her a look that clearly read: "It's because you're holding back on what you want to say to Lavi in that book! And you're supposed to be honest to him, right?! Sheesh!"

A bright red bloomed onto the tomboy's face, her mouth twisted into a grimace.

"Well, it's because…" Quickly, she had to recover from her loss of words before the golem could get a say. She shook her head furiously, her voice hard, pressed, icy, "Damn it, what does it matter if I should be honest or not?"

A deadpanned expression met her frowning, blushing one, wagging one leg at her as if scolding her. Most likely, Deja had retaliated with this sort of response, if she/it was programmed to speak: "Well, for one thing, Lavi is close to you. But, under circumstances like this one, I see you wavering on what you want to say to him! I've been observing that you've been quite flustered about him lately."

"No, I haven't—"

"Don't lie!" Here, the golem pointed at her accusingly, a determined look on her/its face. "You have! Even at the mention of him from other people, you start being like this!"

"Deja, I know you don't talk, but if you don't cut it out—"

"Perhaps…" A sly grin. "You feel a little something towards him, but you just don't realize it~"

A sharp glare, very much Kanda-like, had been shot towards the machine's direction; however, it didn't do much except made the golem smirk widely. Rue didn't know why, but she suddenly felt agitated on whatever Deja was implying. Her face getting redder wasn't helping her case either, even though she still kept that intimidating glower.

"What are you talking about?" Rue questioned quickly and coldly, finally averting her gaze from the device. "I'm only worried about him, that's all."

"But, hey! You DID admit a while back you miss him, though!" At the obscure statement that had been "said" through that teasing expression, the female Exorcist ended up throwing a dagger at the gray, flying ball out of anger.

A narrow miss.

And simultaneously, her bedroom door opened at that moment, revealing a not-so-energetic Komui.

"Hey, Rue, you got a m—" The dagger had barely missed his head, pinning his white beret onto a nearby wall. In shock, he had sunken to his knees, weeping on the fact that he had been so close to Death again. "WAAAAAH!!! LENALEE, RUE TRIED TO KILL ME AGAIN!!!"

"I-I'm sorry!" Rue's startled voice cried out when she saw this. "I'm sorry, Sir Komui!"

_You're officially at the deep end, Rue. _The girl shook her head with a sigh. _I must be insane, fighting with my own golem about Lavi, of all things! I really am way in over my head. _

Giving Deja a dark look, she picked up the journal and tucked it under her arm to take along with her, but not before opening it and hastily writing what the golem wanted her to write to the Bookman apprentice:

_When you come back… I… I want to welcome you home._

* * *

With numerous apologies being said moments soon after the incident (really, Rue wasn't intending to kill off her Supervisor for disturbing her for once), they were now in the command post. Allen and Lenalee being there too, it also meant that they were going to be assigned as well.

By the time the three Exorcists came in, the office was in messier disarray than usual. Komui looked to be very exhausted, quite overworked, as numerous stacks of books were piled all around the room. From the discussion, Allen and Lenalee were partnered up together to go on a mission in Germany. There had been report of a Rewinding Town that kept repeating the same events of a certain day endlessly. So, they had to go investigate on it since the reports say that there's possibly Innocence involved with this, which may also lead to its possible accommodator.

"Good luck again, Allen." Rue nodded to the boy, knowing already that he'll be able to get through this, being in the Black Order for three months and all. "At least you don't have to work with Kanda for a while."

With a chuckle of agreement, he smiled back at her, "Yeah. Do your best in your work as well."

"You too, Lenalee. Be careful out there."

"I know!" She replied with a warm smile, waving as she followed her companion out the door. "You be careful too!"

Once they had bid the Supervisor their farewells, it was then that Komui decided to speak.

"Rue, the mission I'll be sending you on…"

"Yes, Sir Komui?" The other inquired seriously, a salute to him. "I'm waiting for your orders, so please tell me."

"Well…" Surprisingly reluctant, he gently pushed the file folder towards her from his desk. "Your mission's in full detail in there, as you know. The objective will be, as usual, Innocence or Akuma causing the chaos in the place. However…"

"Sir…?"

"It's all right." He shook his head, a small, weary smile appearing on his face. "I think you'll be all right. This is the first solo mission I'm giving you, so I want you to do your best. Just remember not to die, okay? We're all counting on you."

"Y-Yes." She raised her hand into another crisp salute, retreating that hand back to her side as she bowed deeply. Taking the brief, she turned around and walked out of the office; though, she couldn't help but feel stiff in the legs when strolling out. Only confusion was felt at the back of her mind, but she paid no regard to it.

Deja, trailing her from behind, was just as puzzled. She/It wasn't sure what to make of it either.

Perhaps, there must've been a reason why her superior was like that. Taking a look at the still closed folder, there was only one way to find out what was going on.

In the office, busying himself with papers and research, the usual routine, Komui couldn't help himself as he felt lost in thought about what had happened earlier.

_Was it right to do something like that? Should I have been honest with the mission details like I usually did? _He thought with an indecisive mindset, feeling his body tense up in anxiety. _No… It's better that it's like this and letting Rue discover on her own. _

_ Because this is a personal mission of hers that I feel that I don't have the right to discuss about, especially when someone important to her is involved. I think… She'll be able to find them at last…_

* * *

_In France…_

_"*Kuya Jericho! Stop being mean to me and come out of hiding already!" Rue's three-year-old voice called out into the cold, winter evening as her eyes searched around in their white backyard. "Come on, it's not funny anymore!"_

_ As she looked around frantically, a figure loomed into the darkness. And then…_

_ "BOO!!!"_

_ "WAAAAAH!!!"_

_ Emerging into the light from inside the house, eleven-year-old Jericho Marucut was onto the snowy ground and rolling as he went into a hysterical laughing fit. His blue-gray eyes were now welled up with tears because he couldn't stop being amused on how his younger sibling just fell for that._

_ With a growl, Rue had tackled the carbon copy of Zack and went into a process of pulling at Jericho's black hair out of frustration. _

_ "Owwwww! Hey, you little rascal, what are you—!?_"

_"It's because Kuya is mean!" She whined, tugging at his hair more, as she gave him a teary eyed glare. "I got scared, thinking that you were eaten by a monster or something! But, instead, you scare me like this!"_

_ "Owowowowowow! Okay, okay, I'm sorry!"_

_ "Say it like you mean it!" Fussing angrily, she gave his tresses a good, hard yank._

_ "I'll never do it again! So, stop pulling! Are you trying to make me bald?!"_

_ "Be happy that I'm giving you that much!"_

_ From the noise outside, Zack Marucut stepped outside and was alarmed to see his kids fighting like this. Giving them both a light cuff on their heads, making them cry out in protest, he squatted down to their eye level._

_ "What's going on here?" Their father, not the type to be serious so easily, gave them a disapproving frown._

_ With fussy Jericho and crying Rue telling him everything on what had occurred, he only sighed and shook his head. _

_ "Don't do that again, squirt. You scared your sister and she was already scared that you left her alone." Zack mumbled quietly, calmly, with a stern tone, ruffling Jericho's hair softly. Picking up the hiccupping and sniffling Rue, letting her sit on his shoulders, his voice to her was gentle but firm all the same. "And kiddo, don't resort to hurting your brother when he does something like that. He's only playing, he just wanted to do that to you for fun."_

_ The girl only nodded, not looking at her dad straight in the eye because she felt guilty about it. Seeing that his son's arms were outstretched, Zack smiled and placed Rue into his care._

_ "Don't cry anymore…" He could hear Jericho tell her this as he departed inside the house. _

_ "B-But," Rue blubbered out her words, bursting into a fresh wave of tears. At the rate she was going, she may end up getting a cold. "You scared me. And I hurt you because of it, s-so…"_

_ "It's okay, it's okay. I deserved it, anyway. Besides…" Settling her down on the ground, he held her hand to lead her inside to keep themselves warm, smiling gently. "It'll be Christmas soon, so you should smile!" _

_ She only pouted, eyes glued to the ground and unable to meet his, still feeling a strong sense of regret._

_ "If you smile, I'll get you as much sweets as you want. Just don't tell Mom about me sneaking cookies to you before Christmas morning or she'll scold me!"_

_ And here, with teary eyes, did a smile lit up on her face._

_ "Okay, Kuya, I'll stop crying." She hugged him tightly, smiling more as she did. "I love you, Kuya! You know that, right?"_

_ "Yeah, yeah…" He muttered bashfully, petting her head affectionately. "Love you too."_

* * *

In some other part of the world…

"Kuya Jericho?" A soft voice called the twenty-three-year-old out from the reminiscence. Turning away from the window, which showed gray clouds occupying the sky, he looked to see who had called him.

"Claire." The name left his lips in gentle acknowledgment, hazy blue-gray eyes met perplexed sky blue ones.

"What were you thinking about?" Getting a chair and placing it next to his, twelve-year-old Claire Marucut sat herself besides the older male.

"Nothing much," he grunted, his eyes focusing on outside once more. "Just…"

"Just what? Well…" She played with her waist length, wavy strawberry blonde hair, perhaps in discomfort. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to…"

"I'm just thinking if… If _she's_ still alive, that's all. Even though there hasn't been a sign of that for a bit over a decade, even so…" He sighed tiredly, shaking his head. He flashed his sibling a cryptic smile. Or was it a sad one? "Even so, I can't but hope about it. And up to now, I still do, despite not knowing if she's really alive or not. Heh… I really am a fool, aren't I?"

It was Claire's turn to shake her head, with wholehearted disagreement, as she hugged one of her brother's strong arms.

"You're not a fool, Kuya Jericho." She replied gently, squeezing his arm. "Not at all."

"Eh…?"

"I…" And a sad—and just as hopeful—smile curved onto her delicate face now, unshed tears forming in her eyes. "Dad and Mom aren't around anymore; they haven't been around for a long time, so… Even if it's impossible, I…"

"Claire…" Jericho pulled her close to him, stroking her hair to calm down her shaking. By now, the tears silently streaked down the sister's face, her voice an unsteady whimper as she continued on speaking.

"Even if our parents are no longer of this world anymore, at least let us siblings have the chance to reunite and really become a family again. I want *Ate Rue to be alive too."

* * *

Hitomi: Done. *sighs, flops on the floor* Glad to see I got this out of the way since I'm pretty much swamped in final exams.

Then again, this did relieve my stress a lot, so it was pretty much a good writing exercise.

Oh yeah, because the Rewinding Town mission takes place three months later after Allen joins the Black Order, I decided to edit a bit of Chapter XXI/21 to fix some things in regards to the canon; Hence why it's autumn here while, in the edited Chapter XXI, it's summer there.

*laughs a little* I guess nothing much happened in this chapter, eh? Sorry if it may've came off as a little boring. *scratches the back of her head* Maybe it's probably because I'm just burned out from school and such.

*snickers* Gotta love the "argument" between Rue and Deja, even though the golem can't talk. XD But, it's just so much fun teasing Rue about Lavi, hehehe.

As you may guess, Rue's mission may be about her life again since the two people in this chapter, Jericho and Claire, they're her biological siblings. Though, I am not sure what place those two are in nor can I think of a place to put this mission in. I need suggestions here, so please, if you have any ideas on what part of the world I should place this mission in, please say so in your reviews, thanks! As for the mission itself and what it contains… I'm still trying to work on that.

Hmmm, I also need feedback on whether it's right to have Rue go in this as a solo mission or I should've put someone with her. Well, Lenalee is partnered up with Allen, Kanda is on a long term mission (so it seems in the manga)… I could've used Daisya and/or Marie, but I'm still wondering about that.

Oh yeah, the words with asterisks next to them…

*Kuya (Koo-yah) – It's a term in Filipino that means "big brother." This is used towards older brothers, but it can be also used towards older male cousins and male friends that you consider as such.

*Ate (Ah-teh) – A term in Filipino that means "big sister." Like Kuya, Ate is normally used towards older sisters, but it also be used towards older female cousins or older female friends you see as such.

There we go~ Not sure why I decided to use Filipino words when it comes to family instead of French… Probably it's because you don't see Filipinos in the Black Order (even in the Asian branch too), so I thought it was better like this.

I guess I won't add the entire canon from now on. *nods* Of course, unless it's to move along the plot.

Be seeing you next chapter~ x_X And I really need to think on what to do about this mission.


	27. On My Own

Hitomi: Finally, summer vacation~ Yep, officially done with final exams and it's back to writing now!

Though, I think I may've hit a writer's block, considering that this is the first solo mission I'm sending Rue on. Most likely it's because I've gotten used to pairing her up with other Exorcists, even though she's the independent, lone wolf type. But, of course, her synchronization rate of her Innocence was weak at the time and she needed to adjust to her powers and know how they worked.

So, once again, Rue's still growing up. And being a full-fledged Exorcist on a solo mission should test her.

And… Oh wow! This is the first time EVER in all my years of writing fanfiction to hit 100+ reviews! Thank you very much for the support, everyone, really! *sniff* It just means so much to me when I see that you guys appreciate the effort I put into this story and I also love hearing feedback from you guys too!

Midnight Hikari – XD Hehe, go ahead~ I kinda miss being called Ate, anyway! Well, it is fun to poke at Rue about what her feelings for Lavi are. Even though Deja can't talk, it's amusing to imagine their argument being like this. *nods* That's also why I sent Rue on a solo mission and that's because it's to test her on how she's grown as an Exorcist. Of course, we should see her grow up as a person too. Jericho and Claire were mentioned before, briefly and vaguely, around Chapter XXIII/23 in a flashback before I introduced the Spain mission Rue and Daisya were in. Yep, let's watch over Rue overcome things slowly in her own way because she's slowly learning about herself…

TheSeventhLie – Technically, Deja can't talk (not programmed to), but Rue's able to perceive what she's trying to say, somehow, through the golem's expressions. And thus, this amusing argument comes up. Well, I had to drag Komui in the room in order to fetch Rue. XD And he does tend to be victim to Rue's daggers, anyway, so I had to do something like this! Yep~ Lavi will pop in soon!

Soulless Ghosty – Sort of stuck, but I think I can manage this just fine! I just feel unconfident about what I should do since this is a new situation for Rue that I haven't put her in before, but I have to believe in myself more as a writer that I can, somehow, pull this off. And yep, finals are all done~

And so, it begins… Let's see how Rue can manage in an Exorcist mission by herself. Well, she had done solo missions as an assassin too, but I just want to see how this'll work, now that she's gotten used to working with others. XD But, the old habit of preferring to work alone is still there, eheh.

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

* * *

**Unravel**

**XXVII**

**On My Own**

[_Roaming, observing, and fighting._

_This is something I have to do to prove my worth._

_This is my role and no one else's._

_But, is there something unexpected waiting for me?_]

* * *

Having departed from England and Black Order H.Q. once again, the lone Exorcist was now riding on a train destined to go to Austria.

For once, it had been a quiet trip unlike countless ones before. This was the first solo mission she was going on; no other fellow Exorcists involved, just her. Not even the Finders were around to keep her company; most likely, they were already at the destination and waiting for her. If anything, even though it was only a sentient gadget, the silver golem may as well count as a companion.

_Sir Komui really did make me feel a little uneasy before I left… Just a little bit. _Rue mused with a gulp, feeling both hands clenching into fists. _Well, I suppose I should've seen this coming. Being an Exorcist for two years, it should be expected that, one of these days, I would be given a solo mission. This may as well be a rite of passage on growing up too… But, then again…_

At the empty seat next to her in the compartment, there laid the brief. She studied the folder with a wary eye, still unsure of what to make of it. It was as if she was intimidated to look into there for fear of what she would find. The fact that she hadn't touched it at all ever since she got on the train spoke volumes.

Popping out from her hair was Deja, who floated in front of the Exorcist's face, giving some sort of sharp look that read: "You still haven't read the details up to now?! Then, how are you supposed to know what this mission's about?!"

Only a sigh from Rue was the golem's answer. Turning her face away slowly, she picked up the brief and, with shaky hands, opened it. Words unfolded in front of her eyes, the details straight to the point as they always were:

_In Austria, there had been rumors about anything related to the supernatural and abnormal being sighted around. From the Finders have investigated, strange things have been happening such as fire having been caused from nothing or boulders suddenly being moved on their own and killing off people who are traveling on tough terrain. A few months ago, they said it all started on one, particular night, where the residents saw something flashing into the sky; then, the light had split into many pieces and scattered all around the country. One particular piece of gossip says something about a key being involved in this, but nobody knows for sure what that means. The supernatural happenings have lessened considerably, but there's still more happening. It seemed to have attracted the Akuma's attention too, so it's possible that it could be Innocence._

_Two peculiar people have been going around stopping the disasters and don't intend to stop until they are finished. One is a male mercenary; the other is a young girl, possibly having some sort of relation to the boy. Their names are Jericho and Claire._

The names of the people under these circumstances gave Rue a sense of vague familiarity. Her mind wandered back to whatever she remembered of long ago, her long ago, before blood became part of her life. But, every time she tried to recall the memories of her family, she only ended up getting a headache out of it.

_Jericho? Claire? It couldn't be… _She shook her head, her face blank of expression. _It's only normal for common names like those to be around, so it's probably just coincidence. But…_

_No. It's been over a decade since seeing them… Father and Mother may not be around anymore, but my siblings… I don't know where they are anymore. All I remember, faintly, was that we were forced to separate after our parents…_

Shaking her head again as if refusing to remember anything concerning the past, at the same time, the train had made its stop in Austria.

* * *

Upon arriving in Wolfsberg, Austria, it didn't take long for Rue to search for the Finders who were to assist her in this mission. Without much trouble, and after checking in the brief for additional information, she found the Finders lodging in a hotel.

It also didn't take long for a certain Finder to complain about the Exorcist's delay.

"What took you?!" Edina snapped at Rue crossly, seeing her appear while eating her meal. "You made sure to take your sweet time making your way over here while we're sitting ducks! I should be thankful that I'm residing in this warm hotel instead of being outside in the cold, freezing to death!"

"That's enough, Edina." Armando's cold voice had cut her off from her crudeness, making her sulk as she quietly ate her food. He turned to Rue, bowing to her apologetically. "I'm sorry about her being like that, but the certain Finders in this assignment, having been in other locations in other missions, had been ordered by Komui to standby here until you arrive. Those who had made their way here had to wake up early to get here, depending on where we were. Edina and I just came from a mission in Korea and arrived here early in the morning, so…"

He shot the girl behind him a dark look, to which she responded with a sour face, ignoring him as she continued eating.

"It's all right." Rue nodded in understanding. "My apologies for making you all wait, then. I did leave as soon as Sir Komui gave me the information, though."

"We're okay, though." The third Finder, Toma, chuckled lightly as he finished his glass of orange juice. "This is our job as Finders, so we're more than willing to help you Exorcists. So, shall we get out now and do what we have to do?"

As the four headed out of the building to make their journey, Rue, for some reason unknown, took a brief glance at the heart locket that hung around her neck. With her right hand, she squeezed the pendant tightly as if it was her only lifeline.

_You can do this… Don't waver…_

* * *

"It should be here… It should be here somewhere, I can feel it…"

Not too far away, two people were frantically looking around for something. A twenty three-year-old black-haired male had his unsheathed sword slung over his shoulder, blue-gray eyes looking around frantically. He wore a black traveling coat that concealed his clothing and the sword sheath underneath. His posture was a cautious one, his free arm extended out as if to protect his companion. With him was a twelve-year-old, strawberry blonde-haired female who wore a pink and white check dress with a pinafore, though her upper torso was covered by a big, dark green jacket; most likely, the older male gave it to her, so she wouldn't get cold. Her large, sky blue eyes looked at the tome she clutched close to her with uncertainty, but it was immediately covered up with a determined face.

"So, you feel it too…" The female murmured softly, looking up from the male's back to meet his gaze. "There's a strong presence here, Kuya Jericho. You already know that they're random, so I can't tell which creature is this. But, it feels like it's one of the stronger ones…"

"Yeah," Jericho agreed, squeezing his blade's hilt out of tension. "The aura's strong. Don't lose your sense on it, Claire, but…" His cautious expression turned to a slightly worried one.

"I'm all right." Claire reassured him, her face still holding a strong resolve. "I know shouldn't focus on it too much or else I'll feel overwhelmed of the power. So, don't worry, I won't push myself…"

"All right, if you say so." He nodded at this, even though a shred of doubt still lingered at the back of his mind. "We've already captured twenty six of them, we're halfway there. So, let's not give up now."

"Right, let's do our best."

A sudden explosion erupted behind them, causing the duo to be thrown back with Claire yelling and Jericho cursing under his breath for not thinking this kind of situation would happen. The dust that followed the blast blinded them as well as made them cough violently. Luckily for Claire that her older brother had cushioned her fall when she landed right on top of him after the impact. Keeping her close to him with his right arm, Jericho pushed himself up with his sword clutched in his left hand. He peered warily through the smoke, sensing a tense atmosphere of foreboding danger up ahead—

When the smoke had cleared, from above them looked to be a seraph with six brown wings the color of the earth. Laced around its body were green bands – no, Jericho looked closely; what resembled clothes on its body, or a cloak of some sort, were vines and some flora.

"Claire… That's the Earth Card, isn't it?"

Studying the angel, her eyes widened as she nodded fervently.

"Yes, that's—"

However, it abruptly occurred to the two that the creature wasn't alone for that it flew away as if something was chasing them. And _something_ was chasing it; further up in the sky were mechanical creatures that pursued it and had the intention to obliterate it.

Akuma.

"Shit!" Immediately getting up, earning a startled cry from Claire, Jericho grabbed her arm and made a run for it. "We can't let the Earth card get away! And those things appeared again?! Damn it, whatever those things are, they really should stay out of our business!"

* * *

The group wasn't too far away from the location where Jericho and Claire were. Around town, they had been asking residents about the two and what the situation had been about.

"It's like this." Toma made his input calmly as they made their way through the settlement. "From what it all sounded like, according to the numerous reports on this case, it sounded like Innocence took a form of sorts. There's possibly magic's involved."

"Magic, huh." Rue said slowly, taking this into consideration. "Well, that's a given since all Innocence tend to hold supernatural ability of some sort, be it Equipment or Parasitic types, and the sole purpose of it being able to destroy the Earl and the Akuma."

"Of course there is that, but I mean stuff connecting with fortunetelling and what not. Then again, it's logical the Innocence could just as well be Parasitic since the creatures that appear here are ones that can possibly be from one's imagination."

"Heh, if it was from one's imagination, it's either the person's creative, has too much time on their hands, or is a shut in psycho." Edina sneered with a not-at-all ladylike snort.

Just when Rue was going to respond, she sensed something up ahead. The instincts told her that she needed to be prepared to fight. Frowning at the sudden change in the air, her right hand was immediately one of her sheathed daggers.

"What's wrong?" Armando looked to the Exorcist's sudden change of position, his voice sharp with anxiety. "Do you feel something?"

She didn't answer him; however, she seemed to be muttering something under her breath that he could faintly pick up, closing her eyes as she did so.

"Vanquish enemies with black and protect allies with white in my hands… Deathtrap, Lifeline…"

And before they knew it, something fell from the sky, causing the populace to go into total mayhem. Edina shrieked and hid behind Armando while Toma wasn't all that surprised. A good number of them had made their appearance, probably about ten, maybe a bit more. Some still continued on chasing something and Rue couldn't get a good look on what it was; the others were focused on the lone Exorcist before them, grinning wickedly with unspoken dark intentions.

And at that moment, she opened her eyes, the words that she always said spoken out strongly.

"Innocence, activate!"

Let the battle begin.

* * *

The two ran in hot pursuit of what they were looking for, determined not to let it get away. They've been looking for the creature for so long because there had been rumors of random earthquakes, falling boulders, and earth pillars. However, it seemed that other behemoths were going after it, which wasn't a surprise. Jericho and Claire have seen Akuma before, and quite often, when it came to their scavenger hunt.

But, were they aware of the danger?

"Something tells me that those creatures aren't so easy to take down…" Claire said with a slight frown, still being escorted by her brother with one arm and holding the tome with the other. "I don't mean the cards, I mean the other creatures. If I remember right, people do call them Akuma."

"Akuma, huh?" Jericho grunted. His mind wasn't fully there; he was too focused on going after the Earth seraph. "What are they, exactly, anyway?"

"I'm not too sure. But I heard they've been causing problems all over the world due to a higher power pulling the strings. Rumor has it that there is a force that can eliminate them, though details have been vague."

"Is that so…"

Once they saw the chaotic scene unfolding before them when they covered a long distance, it was hard to tell what was going on. They spotted the Earth seraph in the sky, though it was still being chased by Akuma. And another bunch of them were on the ground and it looked like they were… Busy fighting over someone else. Since they were still a good distance away, they couldn't get a good look, but the person was wearing a black coat.

It didn't take them long to see who, though. As the Akuma came in closer to their target, the person seemed to have yelled something and, to their surprise, black and white gloves appeared on their hands.

Deathtrap and Lifeline glowed an ominous red, fire being conjured, and Rue made her move without any hesitation. Dodging bullets from the Level 1 Akuma, she had decided to eliminate them first because they were easy to deal with. Her fists made contact on the gray and mechanical monsters, an explosive inferno following soon after that. As soon as three were destroyed, she agilely went to the others (about four or five), summoning jagged rocks from the ground with a wave of the now brown Lifeline, piercing right through them, while Deathtrap glowed with a green aura, slapping the open palm on one Akuma. The result of that was torturous, numerous wind blades cutting through the gray ball until it was nothing, leaving some splatters of black blood that the Exorcist was careful enough to avoid contact with.

The remaining Akuma who were too busy pursuing the Earth seraph felt the rising threat of the Exorcist battling below. Feeling that she needed to be eliminated right away, they swooped down, closing in for the kill. Since these were Level 2 Akuma this time, it meant that they had powers. Not really a good sign for Rue, but it doesn't mean she won't do something about it.

Because of the tension building up inside her, the energy barrier began to form all around Rue to give her protection from the incoming assaults, even if only for a few seconds. And so, the attacks rained down in the form of icicles, glass shards, knives, and what looked like… Was that candy that had just exploded onto her barricade just now?

_What the?! _ She took a quick double take on that, stunned, the barrier worn off as she sprung into action again. _Here I am, risking my life for the world as an Exorcist, and you mean to tell me that there's an Akuma that has explosive candy as its arsenal? Good grief._

As the spears of ice began to target her again, Rue retaliated with the fire burning in her hands. She melted some and dodged some – one close call, however, as she felt a slight coolness ruffling her short hair; the icicle had narrowly missed her head. Lunging forward, she gave that Akuma one Hell of a hit with both fists in the face, the flame suddenly bursting into a fire blast. Nothing of that Akuma was left, not even the ashes.

_Three more to go… _She licked her lips, taking a short breath as her eyes shifted this way and that to look over the Akuma that were still alive.

"Take this!" An Akuma—looking like much of a mutated, grotesque porcupine with the exception of the fact its whole body was covered with knives—had launched his weapons at her. She had managed to duck and sidestep with ease, thanks to quick reflexes, but one had pinned her to a nearby tree by using her red, tattered cape. The tomboy tried to tug at the knife to be released from the wood, but it was difficult to do that, for it was loded in deeply. Wide open for assault, two more knives had lodged in her right thigh and her left arm, much to the Finders' horror. She cursed under her breath, scolding herself internally for being unable to foresee that.

"Hehehe… Finally got you cornered now." Another Akuma—taking shape of a mirror that had a temporary power of regenerating glass because of using glass shards to fight—said with a big smile on its face, glass fragments looking like claws or needles when tucked between fingers of both hands. "Time to destroy both you and your Innocence, you annoying, little Exorcist. This is great, two birds in one stone, and won't the Millennium Earl be delighted to hear about this later after we've disposed of you."

At the mention of the Millennium Earl, Rue felt both fear and anger simultaneously, but had said nothing. Her clenched fists had spoken out her feelings on the matter.

They were both ready to close in on her and she couldn't do anything about it. Though she tried to struggle her way out, it wasn't any use and, if she kept moving, it would cause more blood to pour out of her wounds. She might as well be dead right now.

Until something unexpected fell from the sky and crushed the mirror Akuma completely under its weight – breaking it in half; not just the glass, but the mirror's frame itself. It was a giant boulder. Wide eyed, Rue looked up to see something in the open air. An angel?

"What the?! I thought we got rid of you!" The last Akuma, a mutant of a gummy bear snarled angrily, holding up its bazooka of exploding lollipops. "Grrr, you shall die too!" It fired point blank, but the angel had dodged the ammunition.

Swooping down, its hands outstretched to Rue and pulled out the knives. Relieved to be released, she gave a thankful nod to the seraph, but wincing slightly. Once released, not stalling on it, her gloved hands dove into her pouch immediately and dug out bandage rolls. She wrapped the wounds of her thigh and forearm, knowing that it'll only be temporarily. As if to test her movement, she tried to walk with her leg or move with her arm; she winced, pain shooting up her body.

"Damn it…" She mumbled, a low hiss of pain escaping from her. "How am I going to fight now…?"

As if to answer her question, the angel turned its back to her, crouching down. Rue looked at it in apprehension, confused as well.

"You… Want me to ride on your back?"

It nodded.

"You're… Going to help me?"

It nodded again.

"Watch out!" Armando cried out. Hs Rue hopped onto the angel's back, it flew quickly just as a knife was going to fly to their direction. The angel already took flight, the knife having barely missed and stabbed onto the ground.

"What the?!" Jericho muttered in surprise, eyes wide. Claire said nothing, only watching quietly.

The seraph's body began to glow; then, with a raised right arm, it summoned a few earth pillars towards the knife wielding Akuma. With both hands, it manipulated the dirt columns to crush the monster and, within the dirt, they can hear the anguished screams of the Akuma's pain. Then, nothing more as the free soul flew to the heavens.

Now, it was only the gummy bear Akuma with his bazooka of lollipop ammo.

"Come here, kid~" It called out cheerfully, almost as if it wasn't going to harm Rue. In fact, it was amusing—and creepy at the same time—to find it smiling happily while holding up its bazooka of suckers. "Why don't you come down? I promise to be nice and give you some other candy!"

Rue twitched, her eyes narrowed in irritation. Once the seraph nosedived towards the creature, Lifeline tightly clenched, glowing a darker red than usual. Perhaps, it was because that comment had set her off. Very alarmed at this, the Akuma blasted rapid shots at the two; whatever the lollipops landed on would've exploded it to smithereens, there even some good sized craters left over from the detonations. The seraph kept plunging down with such speed, getting quite close to the Akuma who had other weapons up its sleeve – jellybean bullets in a jawbreaker gun, bubblegum ball bombs, giant pixie stick dynamite, chocolate shuriken, and let's not forget the ice cream cone throwing knives.

Luckily, the Finders were in a safer spot while Jericho and Claire were still far away in hiding while watching the battle scene.

As she saw the projectiles heading her way, she either dodged or, when she was unable to avoid it, she still kept going in spite of the pain. How unbearable it must be to not only have knife wounds on your forearm and thigh, but having an ice cream cone knife piece your hip, jellybean bullets make a hole in your right shoulder, chocolate shuriken cut your face, and the explosives of pixie sticks, bubblegum, and the lollipops burning your back just when you thought you escaped the detonations. Yeah, that's a bit much.

"For your information," Rue seethed through clamped teeth, the fire building up in Lifeline's palm, consuming the white gloved hand to the point her right hand looked like it turned into a fireball. It was as if her skin—or the glove's leather—was replaced with or made out of fire itself. Finally in close proximity, deciding to combine the fire with air, Rue had cut through the Akuma as if wielding a sword. "I'm fifteen-years-old."

She made a dull note that after she had cleaved the Akuma's body, there was an explosion following soon after; no doubt that its own weapons had turned against it.

The angel had barely been able to stop itself from speeding so fast; it was too late to step the brakes as it made a crash landing on the ground, sending Rue flying, falling, and rolling on the ground face first. What a smooth way to show your grace.

"…Ow." The Exorcist said moments after, slowly sitting up on the ground and examining her injuries. "Ahhh, they're going to be so angry and worried if they find me like this, the Head Nurse and Lenalee especially if they find me like this, when I go back to the Black Order…"

Figuring that it was over after hearing the scenery quiet down, the three Finders came out of hiding and fussed over her condition. She tried to reassure them that she was all right, but Toma still looked anxious, Armando looked unconvinced, and Edina was, surprisingly, fussing over her wounds. But, it may've been just the spur of the moment since the girl reverted back to her usual self, saying something like, "It's not like I'm worried about you or anything! I'm just saying that you should be more careful when battling Akuma because you're an Exorcist and you're valuable to the Black Order!" This earned her a suppressed grin from Armando, but Edina shot him a look as if telling him to shut up.

"E-Excuse me!"

Blinking, unfocused for just a moment, her head turned to the voice. Running up to her was an anxious Claire, a reluctant Jericho following behind.

"Yes? Is there something you want?" The tomboy asked softly, not quite meeting the other female's eyes; perhaps, she was lost in thought because of fatigue.

"That angel over there…" She pointed to the Earth seraph, who made an apologetic face at Rue as soon as it approached near her and Claire. "It's something that I've been after. Of course, I've been after creatures like this for a few months already But, the monsters you were fighting just moments ago keep interfering in our hunt for these supernatural beings."

_Could it be that…_ Rue frowned a little, analyzing the situation._ That the angel… And whatever creatures there are that this girl is talking about… Is it as the report says? Is it Innocence? _

She turned to the Finders, giving them a questioning look as if asking them that exact question her thoughts had. They all nodded firmly, knowing now it was quite likely there was Innocence involved.

"I see…" Rue mumbled, nodding to the young girl. "Well, those monsters are gone, so you can capture it now."

Claire blinked at this, knowing that this was true. She looked at the seraph, who only nodded as if telling her that it was willing to comply with what she had to do, a gentle look on its face. Looking at Jericho, he only gave her a nod, a signal of something. She handed him the tome she had been carrying, but not before opening it and getting out what looked like a blank card. Untying something around her neck, in her clutched hand was a chain. Connecting to it was a silver key with a clock motif on it; on the handle was a mini clock while the key's blade was shaped like a clock's hands. It glowed a light purple in the midday sky and under Claire formed a gold magic circle.

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, and look up to a new tomorrow. Key of Time, let us experience our present, grow strong from our past, and hope for our future. UNLOCK!"

And unlock it did. Within moments, the key had transformed into a silver blue staff? Or was it a sword? It looked like a combination of the two. Tossing the card in the air, Claire flipped the rod and, when the card finally came down in midair, the tip of the wand touched it gently. There was a response to this as, on the other side of the card, a light purple vortex was summoned.

"Earth Card, lock!"

At these words, the vortex was beckoning the seraph in, pulling it in. With one last, warm smile on its face to give to Rue and the Finders, the card glowed white as the angel and all of its being had turned into a light brown aura while been sucked in the card. After a few more moments, the magic circle disappeared and the card stopped glowing. The card was no longer blank, the illustration of the Earth seraph surfacing on it.

"There… Finally captured it after all of the trouble I went through—" Claire stopped being jubilant as she finally noticed Rue's wounds. "A-Ah! I'm sorry! I was so busy being concerned of seizing the Earth Card that I forgot you were injured! And you even helped me captured the Earth Card too while risking your life to fight those monsters! I-I'm sorry, I'm really sorry! I'll heal you right away."

There were different reactions to this. Toma chuckled wryly. Armando softly put his hand to his face, unsure on how to react, it was either he was going to laugh or sigh, but it wasn't confirmed. Edina mumbled something like, "Unbelievable…" under her breath.

"Not again, Claire." Jericho sighed and shook his head, laughing softly. "You're always so focused on getting the cards that you end up forgetting about other matters."

"Well, this is becoming a habit that's hard to break, Kuya Jericho!"

_Claire? Jericho?_

The names had made Rue stop spacing out as she examined, really examined, the two of them. A flustered Claire was summoning another creature of the cards to heal Rue while amused Jericho only smiled, shaking his head again. Now that she thought about it…

Claire, strawberry blonde hair and sky blue eyes, so much like her mother, Cecilia.

Jericho, black hair and blue-gray eyes, the resemblance of her father, Zack, was exactly down to the very detail.

It couldn't be, it just couldn't be them, right? The three of them had separated a long time ago when their parents were gone. It was most likely that Jericho had stayed by Claire's side ever since that time because they looked so close, so Rue felt a little relieved at that notion. Because, at least, the both of them were safe all of this time while Rue had her doubts before.

But, what else was she feeling about this right now?

"Wait a minute, Claire. Stop the summoning for a sec."

The two females gazed at him when he said this; one alarmed, the other placid.

"B-But, Kuya Jericho! The injuries on this person don't look good! If I don't heal them soon, they might die of blood l—"

Not listening to her since it was only going to take a moment, Jericho knelt down to Rue's eye level, studying her face intently. Then, moments later, he immediately pulled away and slumped back in shock, as if he had seen a ghost.

"Kuya Jericho? What? What happened?" Now, Claire was frantic as she crouched down by his side, her wand dropping next to her. "What's wrong?"

"This person…" He mumbled uncertainly, looking at the Exorcist in a new light.

Naturally, the three Finders were baffled of this sudden development, but they kept silent for they didn't want to ruin it. Perhaps, maybe one of them suspected what was going on, so it was best to just watch in order to get the full story of it.

"Why?" The girl shook her brother's shoulder softly, just as confused as the Finders. "What about this person?"

"There's something I need to ask." The tone of Jericho's voice was deadly serious, making Claire stop. And so, she waited—like the Finders—with baited breath, unsure on what to make of this situation.

"What is it?" Rue questioned softly, locking eye contact with the eyes that were so much like her own. Her heartbeat was beating loud, so very loud, in her ears. It was beating so loud and so hard that it hurt her, it pained her, with each passing second.

But, what for?

Anxiety? Anticipation? An ache to know the truth?

"…Rue?"

_He… _Another heartbeat thumped inside her chest, an intense pain coursing through her body._ He called my name… Then, he is… They really are… _

Claire looked back and forth between the two, that one word that had been uttered was a colossal bombshell. No doubt the Finders too were rendered speechless with shock.

"Kuya Jericho…? Are you saying this person is…?" Claire couldn't finish the sentence, wide eyes gazing at Rue with mixed emotions.

"Rue?" Jericho asked again; sternly, gently, faintly. He looked deeply into his other sister's eyes, trying to search for the answer he had been looking for all of this time. All of this time, looking for her. "Is that you?"

* * *

Hitomi: XD And so, I end it there. *SHOT* Oh, come on, that was practically begging for a cliffhanger! Besides… Since it's a cliffhanger, it's good to think over, as I write Chapter XXVIII/28, on what Rue's reaction is going to be. Because I still can't quite picture on what she plans to say to her older brother.

For Rue, it's a choice to either tell or not to tell because, having not seen her siblings for over a decade, and being the type to be honest, she might be compelled to tell the truth. This is a chance for them to be a family again. On the other hand, due to certain circumstances, especially when being an Exorcist, she may hold back on answering.

So yeah, it's hard to tell what Rue's answer is going to be.

Now, you see that this is an Innocence case again~ And it's fun that I had this sort of Innocence in mind (not telling you what it is yet). However, there'll be… Repercussions. Oh dear.

XD And it was fun writing the gummy bear Akuma, hahaha! I honestly have no idea where I got the idea, but I couldn't help myself. Besides… o_O It's amusing and creepy to think of candy being used as weapons. *laughs* Now, I'm quite tempted to make an Innocence out of this too. *grins* But, I wonder who'll wield it.

As you can see, there's a little development in Edina. XD Yes, she's still a bitch, but I did write that she got worried over Rue's wounds from battling the Akuma. *wide grin* Maybe she's starting to warm up after all, hehehe. Armando's noticed this too, so I wonder what's going to happen. I need to develop their relationship more, anyway~

Be seeing you guys next chapter~ XP And time to keep you guys in suspense about this for the time being.


	28. Twelve Years of Lost and Found

Hitomi: And now, for the chapter you've all been waiting for! *SHOT* XD As cheesy as that sounds, it's the only way to put these feelings across. Mind you, I'm also anticipating about since I really don't know how Rue will answer. Once I get to typing out the scene, I guess the answer will be spoken.

As usual, thank you very much for the support. It's been… Wow, almost a year since writing this fanfic. And to think it's gone this far in popularity is still mindboggling. *smiles* It's nice to see that, even though I've made mistakes in writing this, it still appeals to people when they read it.

Midnight Hikari – XP Well, I had to throw in Toma since I wanted Rue to spend some time with him too (and he needs more screentime!). And plus, given on what's going to happen in this chapter (you'll see), she'll need someone to talk to (aside from Armando and Edina). Hehe, he's my favorite Finder too. Well, the Innocence in general (not just the Earth Card)… Yeah, the idea I have in mind for this Innocence is loosely based on Cardcaptor Sakura. And I could've sworn the Earth Card from CCS is different from the one here. *grins* You'll see where I'm going with this idea. Well, I needed Edina to have a little development, despite being… XD The way she is. Yes, she's still bitchy; yes, I don't like her either (and again, I'm the one who created her! *SHOT*); but, I still want to give her some sort of development as a Finder in the Black Order (after all, she has been around ever since Rue joined as a new Exorcist). Besides, it would be nice to see a little _something _between her and Armando, anyway. *COUGH* XD Anyway, I had fun writing about the Gummy Bear Akuma (but I seriously have no idea what made me create such a thing!). Oh yeah! XP I did read about the Cookie Akuma, hehe, and that was amusing (note to self: must review your fic when I get around to it since you've told me in your first review that Unravel was pretty much the inspiration for said-fic and I should be reviewing it!)! It would be nice to have Rue say yes because of all of the things she's been through in the life she's living as an individual, but I've yet to see what she has to say about this.

Kevin-niichan – *GLOMP* Man, it's great to hear from you again, Kevin-nii! I was wondering what happened to you since you didn't review the last two chapters. ^^; So, I got a little worried. XD And again, I've no idea where, why, and how I thought up of the Gummy Bear Akuma. *BLUSH* Maybe I was craving for candy that time and decided to get creative with it… Hehe, the Millennium Earl would definitely do something like that while he's creating that kind of Akuma. Now, because of this idea, I want to make Innocence out of candy (or food in general, depending)! But, only problem is I don't know who'll wield it. If I have to make a future OC for it, then I might as well. Yep, there are cards involved in this mission. And no, it doesn't have to do with Riley since the cards he has as Innocence are playing cards. The cards I'm talking about here are… Well, you'll see. Though, I will tell you one thing: Riley will definitely be an Exorcist at some point or another, the only question is when since I'm not sure which part of the DGM timeline should I make him an Exorcist; as far as I know what my plans are for this fic, he'll be an Exorcist way later. Which means, yep, it'll be paired off with Ice Flare and, yep, I've also noticed FMA and FMA: BH diverged around the Rush Valley/Izumi events, so it'll be the same with the fics.

Soulless Ghosty – XD And just when you thought you'd get an answer out of Rue, it's an instant cliffhanger. Sorry about that! I just wanted to keep the suspense there and it's also to have people think of countless possibilities on how this situation's going to turn out. Yeah, I agree; if Road was an Exorcist, she would definitely have a candy Innocence since that's one of the things she likes. And you're very welcome, I'm glad to hear that you were satisfied with last chapter's length. Actually, I still feel it's a bit difficult with what Rue will say since she's conflicted with either telling the truth or not to tell until way later. But, I think we'll know soon enough when I start to write this chapter. Hehe, Lavi will pop in shortly~ Just be a bit more patient about that as I'm pretty sure all of you want to see him. *grins* There's no denying Rue's the one who's most especially longing to see him, even though she's not going to admit it at all~ And like I'm going to give up on this story before it's over because there's so many things I plan to write in this fanfic! And besides… *smiles* There is a sequel being planned out as we speak.

That Reminiscent Sky/ViLollipop – Wow~ Love the new penname. What made you changed it, though? ^^ Ah, it's fine if you didn't get to review last chapter. Like me, you're busy with stuff too. Wow, what a long review, thanks! And thanks again, finals exams were such a royal pain in the butt, so I wanted to get over them as soon as possible. XP And trust me, Jericho is a common name than you think. Of course Rue needs to grow up more; yes, she's still insecure of herself, so she's pretty much a bit shaken on being given a solo mission. ^_~ As said to Midnight Hikari, I did want to give Toma more screentime. Hmmm, I'd have to disagree; three Finders would've been good for this mission rather than two since the Innocence in this mission is scattered about, so it'll take more than one or even two Finders to gather information about it. As I told you on MSN, Claire calls Jericho Kuya because that's Filipino for older brother. It's a shame on what'll happen to the Innocence, though, since I'm fond of the idea (therefore, I plan to use this idea again in another fic). Yeah, it's more like Jericho and Claire having met the Akuma often rather than fight them; for all I know, IF they did end up fighting the Akuma, the Innocence would protect them. *grins* It was fun writing about the Gummy Bear Akuma, honestly, and Road would've liked it too. As for that other Akuma… *COUGH* I WONDER. XD But, I think you-know-who will do something about it, somehow. The ending was felt right to write about. Probably Jericho recognized Rue because of the eyes since he knows she's the only other sibling who has their father's eyes. XD And maybe you are biased about Claire because of the Innocence, but I'm also glad to hear the two siblings are well liked. Yeah, the reasons you have on Rue's answers are exactly what I thought of too, but also… Yeah, she really needs to have a reunion with her only family after being apart from them for so long and after what she's been through. X3 And no worries, your review made sense, so I'm happy that you enjoyed the chapter!

Now then, time to start~ And see what Rue is thinking!

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

* * *

**Unravel**

**XXVIII**

**Twelve Years of Lost and Found**

[_All of this time, they've been alive…_

_And all of this time, they've been looking for her._

_She missed them too and she always wanted to see them again, but…_

_Is it all right to be a family again, especially under these circumstances?_]

* * *

To think it would come down to this. It was one event after another; going on this solo mission, having fought Akuma alone, figuring out it was an Innocence case, finding the people who were connected with the Innocence. Then, a shocking revelation that was the icing on the cake: the people connected with the Innocence were actually the lone Exorcist's long lost siblings.

How could this be?

Time seemed to have stopped; if anything, it could be Claire's abilities due to the wand. But, that's not what it was and they all knew that. What caused the situation to be like this was the bolt from the blue because of what Jericho had said; it was like it was a spell that was bound to render time from flowing.

And so, the Finders, Claire, and Jericho waited in silent suspense, all eyes on Rue. It couldn't be that hard to answer because there were only two choices on what to say; obviously, yes or no. They probably thought it would be so easy to reply.

No, they were all wrong; it wasn't as easy as it looked at all.

How could she answer when she had not seen them for so long, not even having a clue if they were even alive to begin with?

How could she answer when she was conflicted on what to say?

How could she answer when she already had a sense of vague awareness of feeling like a stranger towards her own family because of not being in their lives for over a decade?

But, most of all, how could she ever answer them if it was just going to put them in danger because of her job as an Exorcist?

_No, _her mouth was pressed into a thin line, internal conflict of emotion flickering in her eyes. Both hands clenched in tight fists at her sides, the inner fight now growing to a full scale war. Oh, curse being indecisive at crucial moments! _I have to settle this. I have to settle this right now. I can't take any chances; even if they are my family, I…_

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, her gaze unwavering towards her older brother. Whatever the decision would be would either make or break. She knew this, she already knew this.

But, she already made up her mind.

"…No." Rue slowly got up, keeping her eyes on the boy that looked so much like their father. She continued on softly, trying to keep her composure. The next words she said had awakened something inside her and, as she spoke, there was an indescribable pain inside her heart. "I'm… I'm not the one you're looking for. My name… Is Rafale."

_Even if they're my family, I have to protect them in the only way I know how. I have to protect them because they're my only family left and I don't want to lose anyone anymore._

Jericho also got up to his feet, his eyes still focused on the tomboy. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Could it be a mistake? Then why, why, did this person looked so much like _her_? Or, at least, the person she would grow up to be if she were even alive?

"I… I see…" He mumbled dejectedly, his eyes crestfallen. "I guess I must've been mistaken. It's just that… Claire and I have been looking for our other sister for a long time. And you look so much like her, minus the short hair and a few other things, so I thought…"

"No… I'm sorry." She couldn't look at him in the eye anymore. "I'm not Rue."

"But, Kuya Jericho's right." Claire spoke up in a soft, sad voice, getting up and looking at her older sister with heartache. "You do look like Ate Rue. Are you sure you're not…?"

"Please," the other pleaded, her voice both gentle and stern, the pain rising up in her chest. Her fists clenched again, determined not to lose her resolve. "I am not her. Maybe I do bear a resemblance to your sister, but I will tell you that I am not her. You don't even know my gender, anyway, so you can't exactly say this when you don't even know if I'm male or female. I hope that… You will find your 'Rue' soon."

The Finders can see the Exorcist struggling with her emotions, but they couldn't say anything. This was Rue's personal matter and not theirs and they had no right to interfere.

"Anyway, please…" Her voice was brisk, but it had a hint of shakiness in it. "Because of the cards you hold, the monsters I just fought want it because of its power. And as an Exorcist, you're involved in our affairs, so… Let us lodge with you for the time being and we'll help you get the rest of the c—"

She suddenly crumpled to the ground before she could complete her sentence, her vision black.

"Whoa!" Edina shouted in alarm, kneeling down to the now unconscious Rue and shaking her. "H-Hey, don't go dying on me, you! Lenalee and the others will kill us if they find out you're like this! Wake up!"

"Didn't I say I needed to heal the wounds first before you decided to question Rafale?" Claire growled angrily, giving Jericho a critical eye. "I told you that if I didn't heal them, there's a chance he—or she—would either go unconscious or die from blood loss!"

Jericho only laughed nervously, scratching his cheek with a gloved finger in a sheepish manner.

"I'm sorry, Claire. I'll never do it again…"

"Well, I hope you don't! Or I'll summon the cards to teach you a lesson! And you don't want that now, do you?!" She was seething, even considering on hitting her sibling with her wand.

"N-No, I don't…"

"Looks like Rafale's still alive, though, so there's no need to worry." Armando said in a calm voice, having felt a pulse on both Rue's wrist and neck, as he carried her small body. "Better hurry and get him to shelter, so he can heal. Is your house nearby?"

"Well, yes." Claire replied, pointing to a certain direction. "It's not that far. Actually, we do live in Wolfsberg, but we hunt for the cards in other parts of Austria."

"I see," Toma nodded in understanding, looking up at the sky's sunset. "Better head there before it gets dark, especially with this kind of weather."

* * *

_Where… Where am I? _The moment she came to, Rue found that she was in a bed as well as in a new environment. Without getting up, she scanned her surroundings carefully. The walls were light blue with star borders and the floor was wooden and looked like it was polished. Even gazing up at the ceiling, there looked to be stars embedded in there, though the lights were on. The furniture was only one or two drawers as well as the bed she was lying in. There was a built in closet that kept clothes—and maybe other things—in storage.

She even took a look at the bed – white pillows with dark blue blankets and bed sheets. She snuggled deeper into them, grateful for the warmth they provided.

_Right… I told Jericho and Claire that I'm not…_

Recalling that moment made her heart feel twinges of pain once more and she wrapped the comforter tightly around herself. She sighed, the dull ache in her heart growing worse.

_What… Am I feeling right now? And after I told them that, I blacked out…_

"You're awake." Toma remarked quietly as he went into her room. "It's a good thing you're up now. We were getting worried about you."

"Where are we, Toma? And how long have I been out?"

"We're in Mr. Jericho and Ms. Claire's house. And you've been out for about four hours, which makes the time 8 PM now."

Rue sat up quickly in surprise of that information, only to feel excruciating pain. She examined her body and found that there were no more wounds or any injuries of the sort. But, it didn't explain the body aches, though, which were hurting so much to the point she was suppressing any kind of sound that would express her pain.

Seeing this, the Finder chuckled as he gave her the answer she was seeking, "Ms. Claire healed you while you were unconscious. She summoned the Water Card to heal your injuries. Though it seems that your body will have to heal naturally when it comes to muscle pain…"

"You could've warned me about that earlier, Toma." She scowled at him, which made him only smile in response. But then, something came to mind. "Where are Armando and Edina? And, come to think of it, Jericho and Claire too, for that matter?"

"Mm, seems that the Finders are helping those two prepare food, especially for you since you need to replenish the blood you lost. Ms. Claire was distressed about what happened and Mr. Jericho felt guilty about it, so they felt that they should do something about it."

"That's…" She was at a loss of words, she didn't know whether to protest about it or not. After all, they were her siblings.

"But, anyway…" The older Finder found a chair right by Rue's bedside, giving her a concerned look. "Mr. Jericho and Ms. Claire are really your long lost siblings? Why didn't you tell them the truth, Rue? It would've been better if you did."

"I…" She turned away from him, her gaze focusing on her folded hands on her lap instead. "I can't tell them the truth, Toma. You know that and I do too on the reason why. As Sir Komui said, Exorcists, or anyone in the Black Order, cannot come in contact with their loved ones once they are part of the Black Order. Although my circumstances are different in this regard, it still applies since I've seen my siblings for the first time in a bit over a decade and on a mission too, which I find very ironic."

"But, even so, it wouldn't hurt to tell them." He reasoned, still looking worried. "They are the only family you have left, right? And they've been looking for you for a long time… This could be the chance for you guys to be a family again."

"But, you already know that I can't do that! Even if I want to tell them, I can't!" Frustration and vexation laced in her icy voice, her hands squeezing so tightly together. Toma jolted in surprise from the outburst, seeing Rue trying to make herself calm down, the pain in her eyes so intense. "If I do, I'll…!"

She curled up into a ball, head hiding in her blanket covered knees as she pulled her legs closer with her arms. It had gone deadly silent for a few moments and the Finder wondered if she was doing all she could to suppress herself from shouting out.

She had changed since going into the Black Order two years ago. Surely, she had changed and he couldn't deny it, not with what he was witnessing with his own eyes at this moment.

"If I tell them the truth…"

His ears perked up at her shaky whisper, though it was a little muffled.

"If I tell them the truth… I'll lose them for sure… I'll lose them for sure to the Millennium Earl and the Akuma… And I don't want that. I don't want them to die…"

When hearing that, Toma understood completely, his eyes softened to a gentle, sad expression. It was not only the duty of an Exorcist that bound Rue not to tell the truth, he realized; it was also the fact that she wanted to protect her siblings from the danger they were facing. She didn't want to put them at risk; moreover, she didn't want the Millennium Earl to hold something against her.

To go this far to protect your loved ones…

The door suddenly burst open, having Toma snap out of it and Rue jerk in shock and look up what had caused the abrupt noise. Armando and Edina came in soon after and carrying two trays of food.

"About time you woke up!" Edina fussed, giving the tray to Rue. "You're lucky that this is a solo mission because, if this wasn't, your partner would be worried to death right now! Geez, if Lenalee or the others were to see you like this right now…"

"Yes, I'm sorry about that." Rue mumbled quietly, eating her meal which consisted of two bowls onion gratin soup and a glass of water. "I'll try to be careful next time, so you wouldn't worry so much, Edina."

She flushed at these words; embarrassment, denial, and something else there bubbling up inside her.

"I-I'm not worried!" She clamored loudly, turning her face away from the Exorcist. "I'm just saying that you shouldn't push yourself!"

Rue chuckled softly to herself, shaking her head at this as she went on to blow the soup to cool it, so she can eat it without burning her tongue. The heat of it warmed up her whole body. Nothing hits the spot on a cold day than a bowl of soup.

"And come to think of it… Wait a minute, those two said they were looking for their sister… So, this means…" The female Finder looked shocked and horrified, pointing at Rue accusingly. "You mean to tell me you were female all of this time?!"

Toma only chuckled and Armando was trying not to grin or snort in laughter at this. Rue only nodded, focusing on eating her food, her eyes looked like they were lit up with unspoken amusement on this spectacle.

"I can't believe it! I thought you were a boy for these past two years! So, that means the time when I accused you and Daisya…"

"Yeah, you were quite wrong on that one." The other, younger male Finder couldn't help but make a smartass response to this.

Whirling to her constant companion's direction, Edina glared at him, screeching, "And why didn't you tell me you knew that Rue was a girl all of this time?!"

"Because, Edina, I wanted you to figure it out for yourself. And besides, it was so amusing to watch you figure out Rue's gender that I couldn't help myself but let you not know about the truth. Besides, didn't you learn anything when it comes to names? Rue means 'street' in French and it's considered as a female name."

Now, he couldn't hold back his grinning any longer as the female gave him a good smack on his arm.

"I'm going to kill you when this mission is over! You're as good as dead, Armando!"

"But, anyway," Armando continued calmly, ignoring his comrade's threat, giving Rue the other tray after she finished her first. This time, the food on this tray was beef casserole with rice and cream of mushroom soup. "So, those two are your siblings?"

Rue only nodded in reply, her mouth full from the food she was eating.

"Then, why didn't you tell them the truth?"

"Seriously," Edina piped in, frowning. "If those two are your family; then, why didn't you say anything?"

To spare her from explaining it again, Toma decided to answer the two Finders for her. While the Exorcist continued to eat, she only nodded in agreement to what Toma had told them. From their senior Finder's reasoning, the junior Finders understood why now.

"Who would've thought you'd be soft, after all." Edina murmured in thought; oddly enough, it sounded like she was sniffling too. "When I met you two years ago, you were emotionless. From the look in your eyes, it was as if you really didn't know how to live. But, I think I can understand why now. I think I can understand you a little bit more now."

"Edina…?" Armando sounded confused—and a little bit concerned—when hearing his female companion say something like that. Done with her meal, and drinking down her glass of water, Rue gave her a look that must've asked her if she was all right.

The brunette only shook her head, a seemingly innocent smile on her face. Though, something didn't seem right. It was as if she was hiding something.

"Nah… It's nothing." She took the trays and the kitchenware with it, heading out of the room and going down the stairs, but not before she told them what she planned to do. "First, I'll be dropping these in the kitchen. Then, I think I'll be taking a small walk outside before going to bed."

"Go."

Both Toma and Armando turned to Rue, who had a hard look in her eyes.

"Armando, accompany her." The girl's voice was soft and calm, her expression unreadable. "At this time of night, she shouldn't wander off for long what with possible Akuma still roaming about. It's better to watch her back. Make sure you two come back safely, okay?"

With a shaky nod, he ran off to follow his friend, closing the door right behind him.

"So, when do you plan to tell Mr. Jericho and Ms. Claire, Rue?"

Turning to Toma, the Exorcist took a deep breath, silent, thinking over on her answer. After what seemed to be a couple of seconds, maybe even a few minutes, she responded with a voice barely above a whisper.

"I don't have any intention to tell them."

Toma winced at this, nodding, but she wasn't finished.

"I've no intention to tell them the truth. But…" She turned away, her long bangs covering her eyes. "But, they deserve to know. More than anyone, they have the right to know about this. So, if the circumstances lead to it… Then, I'll tell them when we're done with the mission."

* * *

"There's something really suspicious about that Exorcist, Rafale. I just know it, there's no way I can be wrong on this one." In their bedroom, Jericho muttered this while resting on his bed, unable to shake the feeling off.

"You really think there is, Kuya Jericho?" Claire asked quietly, in her bed and reading a book.

"Can't you feel it too, Claire? What do you think?"

"Well, I do have to admit… The aura around him is a little intimidating…"

He couldn't agree more. The aura that "Rafale" gave off was menacing. It wasn't as if it was threatening, though neither of them knew how capable "he" was in battle without the Innocence, it was more like the Exorcist was unapproachable in a way.

"But…" Jericho's head perked up at this, seeing his younger sister's contemplative face. "For some reason, it feels really familiar to me. I don't know why, though."

"I guess we'll just have to find out for ourselves, right?"

"Looks like. I suppose we'll have to observe carefully for the next few days."

* * *

According to the Finders, who had gotten the information from Jericho and Claire when Rue had been unconscious, the Innocence took form of tarot cards. Claire obtained the tarot cards when she was around the age of ten, having received them as a present. It was obviously an Equipment type and its powers were to summon the cards to battle Akuma. From what they all observed, it was quite possible that Claire could be an accommodator, much to Rue's worry.

"Are you kidding me?! We'll be travelling nonstop all over Austria?!" Edina shrieked, looking horrified at the prospect as she and the others were already on the train on the way travelling to Leoben at 4 AM. Rue and her were the only ones up, the rest were still sleeping in their compartments. "Madness, I say! This is madness, insanity, craziness!"

"Well, what can we do?" Rue muttered with a sigh, buttoning up her Exorcist coat, stifling a yawn. "The sooner we gather the all of the Innocence's power for this anti-Akuma weapon, the better. Besides, it wasn't my suggestion."

"But, won't we have time for a break?" Edina scoffed, brushing her hair and fixing herself to go out later.

"Yes, there'll be food and rest, but we'll have to focus on capturing the cards for the majority of the day. Toma and Armando, even Sir Komui, said that we should gather them as much as possible before Akuma suspect anything. So, be prepared for a Hellish week."

"Ugh… This is worse than the mission in South Korea, I swear!"

* * *

For the next few days, Rue, the Finders, Jericho, and Claire had travelled all over Austria to hunt for the remaining cards. The travelling tended to be long and tiring, though they had their food and rest, and the scavenger hunt of the cards was nonstop from the early morning to late night; on top of that, with Akuma still present, Rue had a lot of battling to do as Jericho and Claire captured the fragments of the Innocence. If Rue was too tired to battle (astoundingly often since she wouldn't tell anyone about it until she passed out after battle), Claire would help her by healing her wounds, battling alongside her (never mind the fact both Jericho and Rue worried to no end about this) or both.

In Baden…

"Get it now, Claire!" Jericho shouted out as Claire summoned the Water Card to have it battle with the Fire Card.

"Damn it…!" Rue cursed under her breath, Deathtrap glowing with green and red. Trying to make the battle end as quickly as possible, she gave an uppercut to a Level 2 Akuma, the wind blades amplifying the fire's strength. Because of not unlocking a certain emotion connected to this particular element, Lifeline manipulated the wood splinters of a nearby tree, impaling three Level 1 Akuma in one go. "Hurry up! If you don't catch it soon, more Akuma will come to destroy it!"

"Right!" The youngest Marucut sibling was trying to focus, calling forth the Ice Card and Wind Card to assist its companion. Combining together, the three made a spiral of a snowstorm, catching the Fire Card in its blizzard cyclone. The fire seraph couldn't find a way out, aware that it was weakening as its body became frozen little by little.

"Now!"

Spinning her wand and pointing its end on an empty card, Claire wasn't willing to lose.

"Fire Card, lock!"

The purple vortex appeared, sucking in the fire angel when it was immobilized. When the task had finally been done, the Water, Wind, and Ice seraphs came back to their owner in their respective card forms.

With the last of the Akuma crushed by a boulder that formed after Deathtrap's punch, Rue deactivated her Innocence, dropping to her knees and feeling spent. Numerous wounds were seen all over her body and she didn't have the strength to stand.

"Better heal you, then…" Claire said softly, kneeling down to her older sister as she took out the Water Card from the tome and murmured words Rue couldn't catch. The card glowed and out came the Water angel, sprinkling Rue with a light drizzle. Watching her wounds close, she nodded in thanks to the seraph and her sibling.

Claire smiled as if to tell her she was welcome as the seraph was recalled back into its card.

"I guess you need to be carried again. Sheesh…" Without hearing her out, Jericho lifted Rue up and let her sit on his shoulders.

"H-Hey!" She protested, her face bright red. "There's no need to carry me. I'm not a child."

He only laughed at this, retorting with a cheeky tone, "Awww, Rafale is embarrassed. Man, you really don't like to be carried, do you?"

"Well, it IS embarrassing."

He just laughed again, ignoring her protests. Claire laughed too since seeing Rue being as bashful like this was something she didn't see often. Rue gave up; though mortified, dark red in the face, she couldn't help but chuckle at the way her siblings were acting.

_Heh… Guess he hasn't changed all that much… _Rue noted gently, relaxing her arms and head on Jericho's hair. _Kuya Jericho…_

_It feels nice being like this… Being with Kuya Jericho and Claire… Even if they don't know who I truly am…_

* * *

And as for Rue's concerns of letting Jericho and Claire know the truth that she was their sister… Well, during the time when they were hunting for the tarot cards and fighting Akuma on the side, she was trying to distance herself from them. She already vowed to herself that she would not get close to them, already know that, after the mission, they may not see each other for a long time, if ever should she fall in battle during the Holy War.

But, it was already inevitable that she would grow closer to them during these days…

In Knittelfeld, the group was already taking a break after quite a long day. They did a lot of hunting, fighting, and catching, so they were all worn out in varying degrees. They were residing in a hotel, trying to relax and rest themselves because they could really use it.

"So?" Jericho asked as he ate his dinner, giving a questioning look to Claire. "How many cards do we have left to catch?"

"If I'm counting correctly…" She muttered thoughtfully and looked down in her lap, the cards in her hands. "We have one more card left."

"Seriously?!" Edina dropped her utensils in surprise, eyes wide. "Just one more?!"

"You make it sound like you don't want it to be that way…" Armando pointed out, a sly smirk on his face.

Her face flushed in anger, a smile on her face as she rose up her fork as if to stab him.

"Do you want to die?"

"No, thank you, I'd rather not yet." This had shut him up.

"That's what I thought."

"Well, that's good. One more card and we can have the Innocence as a whole again." Toma looked up from his book, remarking with a smile. "Though…"

"Hm?" Jericho looked around, frowning. "Where's Rafale?"

"Ah, he went to bed early." Claire clarified, looking slightly worried. "He's pretty much knocked out by now."

"This is a burden of an Exorcist." Armando sighed cynically and the rest of them nodded in agreement.

"I wonder if he's still thinking about it…" Toma said under his breath, making Edina look at him.

"Who's thinking about what, Toma?"

"Nothing at all, Edina."

_* * *_

_Well, as I've already eavesdropped earlier, they said they have one more card left. Just one more… Which is good because these past few days have been harrowing; honestly, while I'm not complaining about the work, seeing as we're Exorcists and all, I feel like I'm just ready to pass out._

_I haven't told the Finders or Jericho or Claire, but I haven't been sleeping well these past few days. While it makes me focus on the mission at hand, I've other things in mind. _

_I still feel conflicted on what to tell Jericho and Claire. As I've said a few entries back, Jericho and Claire are my siblings… My biological siblings. They've been looking for me for a long time and I did recall a memory of the three of us being torn apart from each other… I want to tell them, but I know I can't due to the circumstances I'm in._

_You understand, right?_

_But… If you were in my place…_

_What would you have done? Would you tell them or not?_

_What should I do… Lavi?_

Sighing, Rue closed the exchange journal, Deja switching off her/its built in flashlight when she/it saw her/its mistress was done writing.

With that, the lone Exorcist had gone off to sleep_, _knowing that the next day will be the last…

_* * *_

In Salzburg, there was already a fight at hand. As Claire went to go after the Dark Card, with Jericho tagging along as some sort of protection, the Akuma had already got their attention on the card. But not without a fight, they wouldn't dare take that angel, not with Rue around.

Setting off an inferno with Lifeline to eliminate Level 1 Akuma, she had decided to focus on the Level 2 Akuma in front of her. It took the form of a grotesque fighter, so it fought with her in hand-to-hand combat.

"What, you think you'll win?" It sneered, sending a strong kick to Rue's stomach and giving her a good punch in the face. "Don't even think about it, Exorcist."

"Tsk, you cannot match my power." Rue replied evenly, sending the Akuma flying with a kick of her own. "Time for you to go down!"

Meanwhile, Claire tried to battle the Dark Card, but it was no use. No matter how close she was to capturing it, it always disappeared on her.

"How hard can it be to catch this one?!" Jericho growled in frustration, seeing it fade into the shadows. "The day's cloudy, so it has plenty of space to hide!"

"Think, think…" Claire breathed calmly, gripping the wand in her hand. Then, an idea came to her. "I know!"

Taking out a card from the tome, she spun the wand and pointed the tip on it, "Light Card, unlock!"

Out came a white angel with see through wings, its body looked like it was made out of sunlight itself. It looked around, its eyes searching until it had spotted a black aura. Coming close to it, the Dark Card came out of hiding, seeing its opposite. Flying to it, the black angel gave it an apprehensive gaze, to which the other only responded with a gentle smile as it outstretched its hand. With some sort of reassurance, the Dark seraph took the other's hand.

"Claire, now!"

"Right! Dark Card, lock!"

Like all of the other cards, a purple vortex appeared to seal up the Dark Card. Soon after, the Light Card followed suit, the Dark Card floating and placing itself inside Claire's tome. Now that all of the cards were back together, the tome was glowing…

"Do you think duplicating yourself will fool me?" Rue muttered tersely, letting the wind blades strike the Akuma and its clones.

"You just won't let me win, will you?!" The Akuma snarled, quite irritated at the Exorcist.

"Of course not." Without letting it finish, she struck it in the face with a rock covered Deathtrap, crushing it under the boulder the glove formed.

"All of the cards… Are all here…" Her ears catching this, Rue got up from the ground and sprinted to her siblings.

"What happened?" Rue asked urgently, but stopped once she saw the tome glowing. "Is this…"

"Yes," Toma observed, looking at the book with wide eyes. "The Innocence is restored, which means…"

As the book started to glow brighter and brighter, something began to form on it. A cross began to form on the center of the book. And normally, Innocence consisted of a glowing core with two rings around it. Because of the Innocence of the tarot card book being incomplete as the cards were scattered, it only had one ring; but now, the second ring begun to restore itself when the cross was finished forming.

"So, this is Innocence…" Claire whispered gently, her eyes never leaving the cross. "So, does this mean…?"

"Yes," Armando nodded, his face calm. "As we told you, Innocence can either be found alone or have an accommodator. In this case, it happens to be the latter."

"Does this mean Claire is a potential Exorcist?!" Jericho exclaimed in shock.

"Of course." Toma replied with a smile.

"But, what about Kuya Jericho?" She glanced at the Finders and Jericho worriedly. "I can't leave his side all of a sudden… He's always been there for me… And he's my only family left. Well, I would say Ate Rue is too, but I don't even know where she is or if she's even alive."

"I suppose we have to convince Komui about that." Edina sighed, shaking her head. "Good luck, I'd say."

_So… The circumstances have turned to this… I suppose I have no choice. _Rue clenched her fists at her sides, taking a deep breath. Taking out something from her pocket, she cleared her throat, making Jericho and Claire turn to her direction.

"I have a confession to make."

The two were silent, but they showed that they were listening.

"Do you remember a few days ago? When you thought I was your sister, Rue?"

They nodded.

"And do you remember when I said I wasn't?"

They nodded again. How could they forget that?

"Well…" She extended her hand, opening it, revealing something silver and circular. "Here, this should give you a clue."

At first, the two didn't know what it was. Jericho scrutinized it, studying the carved lion's face into the silver object. His eyes widened when he finally realized where he had seen it before.

"Isn't this… Father's—Zack's—pocket watch?"

Rue only nodded, saying nothing more. Taking the watch out of her hands and dangling it onto its chain, the older boy opened the small clock with Claire peering in too. Both jaws dropped once they saw the picture that was adjacent to the clock. The portraits of their parents…

"Yes," The Exorcist gave them a gentle expression. "I'm Rue."

They both looked at Rue with unspoken opinions, unable to say anything. Without warning, however, Rue found herself in a group hug of the two; Claire hugging her front, Jericho embracing her from behind.

"A-Ate Rue…" You could hear Claire's shaking words muffled into her older sister's Exorcist cloak, sobbing with tears of joy. "Oh my God, it's you… It's really you… You were alive and well all along…"

"Idiot," Jericho murmured gently, squeezing Rue's waist, trying to hold back his own tears. "Idiot, we've been looking for you these past twelve years and you mean to say you were in front of us this whole time… Idiot, why didn't you say anything, why didn't you tell the truth when we found you a few days ago? Why…? Rue…"

Rue only sighed, one hand on Claire's head, the other squeezing Jericho's hand.

"It's because I didn't want anything bad to happen to you. I wanted to protect you, especially when it comes to Exorcist work. And when this mission is over, I would have to part from you… So, I…" She maintained her warm gaze, closing her eyes. "That's why I didn't say anything. I'm sorry, Kuya Jericho, Claire…"

"It's fine," said Claire's stifled voice, looking up at her with a teary smile. "As long as you were alive…"

"We missed you, kiddo." The boy murmured softly, ruffling Rue's hair. "We really missed you."

"I'm home."

With smiles, the two embraced their middle sibling warmly.

"Welcome home."

The Finders couldn't help but smile at the touching scene in front of them.

"Awww, isn't that sweet? Hate to ruin this reunion, but too bad for you that you're all going to die! You and the Innocence!"

A projectile was thrown, narrowly missing the group. However, it had found its intended target, shattering the Innocence orb on Claire's tome and rendering it useless against Akuma now. Deathtrap and Lifeline summoned once more, Jericho and Claire released Rue as she twirled her body about face, fists raised up.

And from a foot or two away was a smirking Akuma, holding a fork in hand.

* * *

Hitomi: Oh wow~ *falls over* This took a lot of work~

XD To be honest, I'm so exhausted that I really have no commentary on this chapter at all!

But, anticipate on what'll happen next!


	29. Failure, Sacrifice, and Hope

Hitomi: Well, this is it. I don't know how I'm going to really feel about this chapter. I already know what's going to happen, but even so… *sad smile* Must it always turn out to be like this? Really. Sometimes, I feel bad for Rue because of putting her through all sorts of pain. It's difficult to write it, actually, especially on what will unfold in this chapter…

But if she won't give up; then, I won't either. Because in order to achieve something yourself, there has to be some sacrifices at hand. And so, this is her sacrifice as an Exorcist.

But, I'll give you guys a tiny hint (without spoiling it) in case all of you will start crying or start getting sad on me by the time you're up to _that _point in the chapter: it won't end like you think it will.

That Reminiscent Sky/ViLollipop – Wow, first reviewer~ XD Well, I did tell you ahead of time that I was done, so, of course you'd be the one to review first. Hmmm, I was surprised at the change of your penname, but I do find it cute. *coughs* Yes, THAT Akuma did it; yes, it did. Which is why a certain someone (you already know who *coughs*) is going to kill him off later as some sort of retribution… I couldn't let Rue be done with the mission without telling Jericho and Claire anything, right? At least I should give her that much, given after all she's been through. But yeah… *teary-eyed* I don't like the prospect either, but what can I do? But, even though it's like this… They still have a shot to be a family again (and the hint I gave you above says all). Yep; even though Lavi's not around, Rue still writes in the exchange diary to update on her Exorcist missions and her every day life, so he can enjoy reading it when he comes back. It was fun making Deja do a little something, even if it's something like serving as a flashlight for Rue when she's writing.

Midnight Hikari – Ah?! I made you cry?! Sorry, sorry! But, I really did feel that saying no was something Rue would do since she wants to protect those close to her from danger at all costs. Glad to hear Edina is slowly getting better. XD She's still going to be a bitch, but I do want her to be nice at some point. And oooh… I really HAD to put that in! XD It was really funny to have Edina go into such a shock, finding out Rue was female all along… Whoa, you have Claire in your name?! o_o This is a surprise. Mmm, it's an option for Jericho to be a Finder if Claire becomes an Exorcist, just as long as he doesn't leave Claire's side (and Rue's too). Although, as you see, Claire's Innocence shattered… Buuut, that doesn't mean things are over between the siblings just yet. You'll see. All right, then, I'll take my time reading you story and reviewing it when I get the chance.

Soulless Ghosty – Yes, the ending made it clear that Claire's Innocence was destroyed. Also, I did that on purpose, but I said this chapter won't end the way it will, even though Claire's Innocence is gone. And in the summary, I said Chapters 1 through 20 are BEFORE the DGM timeline, which means it's all before Allen comes into the Black Order (hence why you see he's absent until Chapter 21 of Unravel). Actually, Rue's solo mission (AKA what I've been writing this whole time) is DURING the Rewinding Town Arc, which means Lavi will pop in soon. As in REALLY SOON.

Heartbringer – X3 Nice to hear that you love Chapter 14. XD That had to be one of my favorite chapters to write also (then again, I'm proud of this whole story so far). Thanks for reviewing and adding this story to your favourites!

*sniff* Oooh, I am so not going to like this, but the show must go on.

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

* * *

**Unravel**

**XXIX**

**Failure, Sacrifice, and Hope**

[_Two birds with one stone._

_I failed my duties as an Exorcist_

_And I have to leave someone precious behind again._

_What do I have to do to prove to everyone, and to myself, my worth?_

_How many more times do I have to say goodbye?_

_But, I mustn't give up… I mustn't give up just yet…_]

* * *

Once the Innocence on Claire's tarot tome shattered, the cross on the front cover faded as if it never existed. Upon seeing that, Rue had a sinking feeling in her stomach, the strong sentiment of chastisement ready to be taken out into her thoughts. The Innocence fading just like that in an instant was a bad sign for her, especially for her, because of being a professional Exorcist. Mistakes happen, but sometimes, you'll pay the price for it.

But, there was another thing that got her stomach in knots. With the Innocence gone, _that chance_ was slipping away into nothingness…

While all of them were horrified that the Innocence was gone, there were other matters to focus at hand.

Like the Akuma, for instance.

After the Innocence was gone, Rue had stayed quiet the whole time, not saying anything. When it came to battle, her face was blank of emotion, composed as if nothing was wrong. However, one could feel a heavy aura from her, a foreboding one at that. Her fists were still raised up and clenched tightly, preparing for battle, feet shifting into position. Or, from what it looked like, ready to lunge at her opponent and tear it to shreds.

_So, the Innocence is gone… Just like that, it's gone. _She was still shocked on what happened, cursing under her breath for it. Who else to blame but herself? _Your first solo mission as an experienced Exorcist and you've already failed your objective of this assignment. Not only that, but because you ended up telling your siblings the truth on who you really are since your younger sister was a possible accommodator, a potential Exorcist… With the Innocence gone…_

Trying not to listen to the conclusion of her thoughts, she already made her move without thinking, running towards the Akuma at full speed ahead. Something was born inside her again, but everything was burning within her body this time like she had been shook to the very core. The adrenaline, the blood, all of it was racing, never stopping, refusing to surrender to the sentimental part of her. At this, she realized what the emotion was, but she refused to admit it. She already knew what she planned to do with feeling and that was to suppress it. Grounding her teeth in what could be conveyed as pent up frustration towards everything, most especially herself, Deathtrap and Lifeline were already on the go to eliminate the enemy.

_You'll have to be apart again…_

_Shut up._

_You'll have to separate again…_

_Shut up._

_And because of that, you'll probably never see them a—_

_SHUT UP!_

No hesitation, no indecision, no delay. Punch after punch, the elements at her aid, whether emotions or not were involved in their invocation. Such intensity and focus in her fighting skill, despite the bottled emotions being tossed in inner turmoil. What she refused to say out loud only came out from within her fists. There was no way Rue was going to give any mercy towards this Akuma at all; no, not at all, after it had just destroyed her chances of what she had been seeking all of this time: the chance to become a family again with her only siblings.

It had already pushed her to the edge.

"So, this one really does pack a punch just as the Millennium Earl said!" It shrilled with glee. Though giving no response, hearing the Millennium Earl's name only fuelled her hardened resolve to eliminate this particular creature. No response, just continuously going with one fist and the other, focusing on the hits and misses of her strikes. "Hehe, this is going to be so much fun!"

_Now that Claire's Innocence is gone, I can't afford to get injured now. All of this time, the Water Card had healed me, but now, I can't afford to take risks. _She thought calculatedly with a determined look to her, summoning the earth from the ground with Deathtrap and giving her enemy a quick jab with her rock covered fist. Though, in retaliation, she was struck in the face with the Akuma's straps, causing a bruise and a cut to appear on her cheek. _If I get wounded in this battle, it'll hinder me on my next mission. So, I better take as little injury as possible and eliminate this one soon._

_When this is over… _A brief flash of pain was in Rue's eyes, but it had gone under an icy glare. She refused, strongly refused, to acknowledge whatever it was in her heart. _No. Defeat the enemy. Take it down._

While keeping a safe distance from the skirmish, the rest of the group were lost into their own thoughts. The sudden turn of events had silenced them into such a shock and a heavy, negative aura surrounded them soon after. The inevitable was near once Rue was done with her objective – if there was an objective in this mission anymore. And they all wondered what she could be feeling at this moment.

"Rue…" Jericho murmured his sister's name in an uncertain whisper, watching her fight and claw her way through the Akuma; struggling but not holding back. He kept his eyes, his sad eyes, on her, unsure of what to make of what she thought deep inside.

Toma sighed dejectedly, a forlorn look on him as he spoke, "I may not know what she's thinking about right now, but… She must be upset. Really upset. Just look at her fighting now. She may be thinking it through, but she's being rather reckless."

"Yeah," Armando interjected coolly, his eyes hardened with an unreadable face as he addressed Jericho. "Rue really wanted you and Claire to be with her. The whole time she had been on this mission, she was wondering if it was all right to tell you two the truth of her being your sister. If this wasn't an Innocence case and Claire wasn't a potential Exorcist… She wouldn't have told you."

"That's right." Edina nodded firmly in agreement with a serious frown. "She wouldn't have told you in order to protect you two from the Millennium Earl. That way, when the war would be over, though we can only wonder when that'll ever be, she could go back to you guys, so you could be a family again. Now that she had told you guys of her being involved with the Black Order and being your sister, she may be blaming herself later for getting you involved with our affairs. True, it couldn't be helped that Claire would've been an Exorcist due to her powers, but… You already know what we told you days ago, right? Of how Akuma were made and that being why Exorcists—or anyone in the Black Order—aren't allowed to contact their loved ones once they get involved with the holy war?"

The oldest Marucut sibling nodded warily, remembering being told the dark, sinister truth of it; of Akuma being born when someone wishes a loved one to come back to life, the wisher's body being made a host for their loved one's revival.

"She still may not know what some emotions are due to mysterious circumstances of her life before the Black Order…" This earned the female Finder a confused frown from Jericho, who just realized that, upon hearing this, he hadn't asked Rue how she lived her life before getting involved with the Black Order. Then again, he hadn't told her how he and Claire had been living for the past twelve years either "But, in this way, even though she can come off as cold… I know Rue cares about you and Claire a lot."

Only Claire had been silent during the conversation, just listening, her head bowed. As she continued to hear their voices, she clutched her tarot book close to herself, giving it a tender squeeze. She had tried to pull herself together about this, but no avail. The tears were already silently streaking down her face and she didn't bother lifting her hands to wipe her eyes. How unbearable it was to think of, going through the pain of separation again. A twelve-year-old shouldn't go through such pain like this.

But, the young were never spared from pain either.

_I don't what hardships you went through without us there for you, Ate Rue. When I first met you a few days ago, I felt the unspoken feelings within you. Though I had felt intimidation—and familiarity—from you, I also sensed other things. _Claire felt a hard lump forming in her throat, a sign that she was holding back her sobs. _I felt reluctance and loneliness from you too. While you had put up a cold front, there was no denying that you felt that way for a long time. All along when I'd observe you before you told __Kuya__ Jericho and I the truth, you had a look on you that told me that you really wanted to be there for us after being absent from our lives for so long._ She bit her lip, the tears not stopping. _At first, when feeling your hesitation and solitude, I didn't know why I felt that because I didn't know you were really my Ate. Now, I know…_

_The Innocence being gone… Does this mean we have to be away from each other again? Our reunion only took this long? Twelve years of separation, but only a week to make up for it?_

_Please, don't go…_

With a cut face and a bloody lip later, once Rue was about to strike the Akuma down with a blazing Lifeline, after finding an opening, it had wrapped her in its bondage—tentacles?—ribbons to trap her in place. She tried to struggle, as she always did, but it was no use. The grip was too constricting; a tight, suffocating bind with no way out. Only then in this moment did she notice what the Akuma looked like.

Her face slipped into its default, stony expression, her eyes giving away the slightest hint of annoyance. She didn't seem surprised of what form it took, if she ever did feel that way to begin with. Suffocation aside, she concentrated her unnerving stare on her opponent, only a single eyebrow raised.

_Can't the Millennium Earl do any better than this? Really, is it trying to put me off of food?_

"…I'm sorry, but I can't seem to take you seriously, now that I've seen you up close and personal." Rue remarked bluntly, looking very bored, making her group stare at her in shock. The Akuma, having not expected that, was offended at this, squeezing its foe all the tighter.

"What do you mean you 'can't take me seriously,' huh?!" It snarled with venom, looking quite livid. "I'm an Akuma and you're an Exorcist, what does it matter what appearance I take?! This is a crucial moment of life and death at hand and you mean to tell me that you're bored?! What gives?!"

"Well, it's because you're just nothing but a pile of noodles." She was correct on that one: the Akuma did look like a pile of noodles, minus the fact it actually had a face. The pasta was thin and gray, complete with a hot broth on it, quite befitting for the cold weather that was slowly growing stronger day by day. There were even toppings on it like tempura and shredded seaweed strips. The Exorcist caught a whiff of a delicious aroma in the air, which, to no surprise, came from the monster she was fighting. The creature smelled like it was most especially prepared, created, with utmost care; like its non-animated delicacies, it had the smell of its ingredients. Now, if ONLY it settled on a platter of sorts, complete with chopsticks and tea…

And despite themselves, the rest of them had their kicks out of this. Toma looked faintly amused, Armando was trying to keep a straight face, and Edina was already on the ground and rolling with laughter. Jericho cracked a grin and even Claire, despite the tears she shed, couldn't help but snicker.

"So what?!"

"I just can't take you seriously. Honestly, I feel like the culinary world is cursing me today for whatever bad thing I did in the kitchen last time." She recalled all of it in faint reminiscence; her cooking mishaps under Riley's supervision, Jerry instructing her with discipline and kindness when it came to the kitchen, everything. "First, fighting that Gummy Bear Akuma who had sweets as its arsenal; now, you. What's next, a roasted pig? Or a jelly blob?"

This aggravated the Soba Akuma further, its pasta-like body binding Rue tightly to make her suffocate. It didn't help that the broth it had seeped into her Exorcist cloak, which would really raise questions back in the Black Order once they smell her because they may draw into the conclusion that she bathed herself in soup. While she admitted to herself that she was feeling pain, she still kept a straight face, pushing the Akuma to the limits of its anger.

_Note to self: when going back to the Black Order, have Jerry prepare Kanda's soba from now on until I'm calm enough to prepare noodles again. _She mused dryly with a sigh, hoping she would never explain this predicament to her cooking teacher unless she wanted to be the butt of the jokes that would surely be made from this.

The Akuma took an opportunity to get out numerous forks, five of them. Though Rue had been able to burn the noodles off, they were able to regenerate themselves. She tried it again with the other elements, the process repeated.

_Damn. I'm really stuck here. And I'm immobilized top to bottom. For thin noodles, they're too strong. What should I do?_

"Rue…!" Jericho was about to enter the fray, come what may with the risk, sword out in hand. But, he stopped once he caught his sister's eye.

"Don't." Rue gasped out, her breathing taking effort. "Don't, Kuya…"

"But! You're going to die if you stay like that!"

"I'm all right." There was a warm look in her eyes, the icy mask off. "As long as you don't die for my sake, I'll be all right…"

"Rue…" Feeling a tug on his cloak, he looked back to see a serious Claire. "Claire…?"

"Don't worry… Ate Rue has been able to take care of herself all of this time when we were all separated." There was a small smile on her lips. "So, she'll be able to get out of this."

_But… _Claire had other thoughts. _How will she get out of that? If she does stay like that, she'll have a hard time breathing and she'll put herself in grave danger…_

"Heh, a martyr, are you?" The Akuma smirked darkly, giving one stab in her shoulder, and Rue clenching her teeth to not let out her pain. "That makes my job easier, then!"

It stabbed another fork onto her waist and another onto her stomach. She bit back another cry of pain, but she was coughing violently because of the noodles cocooning her body, blood dripping from the corner of her mouth. Her siblings and the Finders called out to her in worry, but they knew they couldn't do anything for they didn't have the sufficient power to eliminate Akuma.

_Shit… I can't… I…!_

Before the Soba Akuma could stab a fork into her heart, something had cut the two other forks and the rest of the pasta tying Rue up. She fell to the ground with a thud, breathing deeply for air and pulling the utensils out of her skin.

"What…? Who…?"

"Che, you really are foolish, shorty."

She looked up with wide eyes, seeing a familiar, sullen face. She caught a flash of black and saw a black blade nearby.

"K-Kanda?"

"Tch. Who else would it be?"

"The Tiedoll unit?" Toma murmured in faint surprise. "What are they doing here?"

"Looks like they had a mission of their own." Armando concluded. "Good; at least Rue has allies to help her now."

She stood up to her feet, her steps a little wobbly. As she was about to fall, she felt someone catch her in their arms and support her up. She looked to who it was and it was another recognizable face, which was frowning with worry.

"Daisya…"

"Looks like you got roughened up a bit, tomboy." He remarked seriously, ruffling her hair. "Hang in there, you don't look too good."

"How'd you guys find me?"

"I could hear your battle when we were getting close to this area." Marie answered calmly, patting her head. "And also, a certain guide helped us…"

Pointing to a direction in the sky, Rue followed his hand to find a certain, gray ball. The golem flew down to perch onto her/its mistress's head.

"Deja?"

"While you were battling and got yourself in trouble, Deja must've escaped to alert us. Well, I don't know how it found us to begin with." Daisya explained, recalling on how they came to be here. "I think it must've sensed us or seen us, so we were surprised to find it alone. Once we spotted the golem on its own, it meant that you were in trouble, so we hurried here as soon as possible."

"I see…"

"Oooh, more Exorcists to play with and destroy! Very entertaining, I'll say!" The Akuma cried out with glee as Kanda's Mugen was trying to slice through the noodles. At the moment, Kanda had cast Double Illusion Blades, his sheath turned into an energy sword, so he had two sharp weapons at his arsenal. But each slice he made had the noodles renewing, even making more multiples of noodles in its place.

"Che, annoying bastard." Kanda scoffed, cutting off the noodles with all of his might. "Why don't you just die?!"

"That's impossible." A fork had been lodged into his stomach; then, a noodle whipped his face and cutting his cheek, sending him to the ground. "For that I am immortal as you can see. No matter how much you try to cut my body, it'll just keep restoring itself."

"Kanda!" Rue shouted in alarm, ready to join into the fight, but she felt herself about to collapse again.

"O-Oy!" Daisya cried out, holding her once more. "You can't enter the battle! Not in the condition you're in!"

"No, Daisya. As an Exorcist, and this being my mission in the first place, I've to complete it. And Kanda, being my teammate and rival, is in trouble right now." She disengaged from the other Exorcist's hold, Deathtrap and Lifeline glowing. "I'm off, then. I'll be back."

He was about to protest, but she had already run off.

"There's no stopping her, Daisya." Marie commented with a slight smile. "Still, we should help them."

"Hell yeah, I'm not letting those two have all of the fun!" Daisya remarked boastfully with a wide grin, the two of them entering the battlefield to help their teammates.

A s forks were thrown in the air, targeting Kanda and the others, Rue made a rising motion with Lifeline to the ground, sending up an earth wall to block the assaults. She, then, punched the ground with Deathtrap, fire columns beckoned from the cracked earth. While the Soba Akuma took damage from that, it looked like it escaped without a scratch, merely shaking off the ashes. Taking an opportunity with an opening, Daisya kicked the Charity Bell and sent it flying in the atmosphere, Resonance sending sound waves all around as Kanda's Mugen called upon Hell's Insects to assist. Marie had Noel Organon on the ready, wrapping the wires around the Akuma and slicing through it. But, no matter how much damage the Akuma took, it constantly repaired itself, healing the wounds it had received from the four.

"Son of a bitch…" Daisya growled under his breath, launching Charity Bell again while getting a fork into his shoulder. "And I thought Zero was annoying!"

"Tsk,." Kanda was annoyed, still intending to hack the Akuma to bits, no matter what. "Why won't the stupid idiot just die?!"

_Think of a plan, Rue. Think. _She pondered, her brain racking on ideas. _Wait… I got it!_

"Guys, this Akuma has the ability to regenerate itself every time we cause damage." Rue pointed out, making the three listen to what she had to say. "So, in order to destroy it, we'll have to do it in one go."

"And how are we going to do that?" Kanda gave her a skeptical look. "If you alone couldn't defeat it…"

"Be quiet, Yuuri." She snapped back at him, causing Daisya to laugh and Marie to smile slightly while Kanda turned red from embarrassment and anger. "Anyway, I've a plan in mind. I'll tell you when we go with it."

"And you're going to do that how…?" Daisya looked doubtful.

"Well, you're also Exorcists with abilities. You'll see."

All four of them decided to rush in, going at close proximity to the Soba Akuma.

"What? All four of you are going to take me on?" The Akuma was amused, launching its attacks. "How many times do I have to repeat myself that I'm immortal and you'll never be able to defeat me?!"

"Marie, now!" Rue shouted out loud. With a quick nod, he whipped out his wires and had immobilized the Akuma. Just when it thought he was going to slice through its body again, it was wrong.

"Verse of the Saint!" He clapped his hands, music playing on the strings. Cherubs were created from the music, dancing and playing around the powerless Akuma.

"WHAT!?" It was paralyzed now. The Akuma tried tugging at the strings, but it was no use getting out.

"Daisya!"

"Got it!" He kicked the Charity Bell, making a hole through the Akuma, who screamed in anguish. "Resonance!" Sound waves pulsed out from the bell, giving more damage.

"Kanda."

"Che, already way ahead of you. Hakka Tourou!" Still in the Double Illusion Blades technique, Kanda lunged to the Akuma and gave eight, powerful, devastating blows with both blades. By now, the Akuma was still shrieking in torment, unsure of how much more it could take.

"F-Foolish Exorcists!" It shouted in rage, despite being hacked in numerous, little pieces, ready to rejuvenate itself once more. "I'll get all of you for this, so prepare to meet your d—"

"Fool." The sentence had been cut off as Rue summoned an inferno from both gloves to burn what remained of the Akuma. Another wail of torment was heard, along with cursing the Exorcists; then, no more. When the fire died down, there was nothing left of the Akuma, not even its ashes.

* * *

After the battle, the Exorcists had regrouped with the Finders and Rue's siblings and they were walking on the way to the train station. From what had been explained to them and Rue, the rest of the Tiedoll unit had been out from the Black Order because Komui had given them a new mission: to search for General Tiedoll and protect him. When Rue had asked why, it was because General Yeegar had been crucified and killed in Belgium. Like General Tiedoll, he, too, had been on a journey to search for new Exorcists. But, when he had been assassinated, nine anti-Akuma weapons—including his own—were stolen after that. So, Komui had assigned the Exorcists in Black Order H.Q. to guard the remaining Exorcists Generals – yes, including the missing General Cross Marian.

"When Komui told us you had a solo mission in Austria, we happened to be in Switzerland that time, trying to find leads on General Tiedoll." Daisya told Rue, kicking the Charity Bell around as if practicing his soccer. "So, we decided to go look for you, though we didn't have a clue where to look since Austria's a big country. But then, we ended up finding Deja flying over to us and looking frantic, which told us you had a little trouble on your hands."

"I see." Hearing General Yeegar dying had Rue's blood turn cold, but she still kept a calm face. "So, we have to find General Tiedoll…"

"Yeah." He frowned as he saw Rue's face. It was blank of emotion, her eyes looked dull. "Oy, you okay?"

She didn't answer him, just kept her eyes up ahead. This only made him worry more.

When arriving at the train station, things seemed to have gone under a silent tension. The Finders, Jericho, and Claire had noticed Rue had gone quiet amongst the conversation they were having with the rest of the Tiedoll unit. While Marie and Daisya already knew Rue was like that, still, they had sensed something amiss. Even Kanda, too, sensed something wrong with her; but, he had stopped thinking of that once he had seen it as weakness.

As they waited for the train, it was then the three siblings had decided to talk amongst themselves, far from earshot from the other people.

"So…" Jericho gazed at his younger sister, pain and sadness in his eyes. "So, you're leaving with your comrades to find your teacher."

Rue only nodded silently as her reply.

"From what it sounded like, a new evil had arisen, aside from the Millennium Earl, but it still has to do with the holy war."

She nodded again.

"Does… Does it really have to be like this?"

When hearing that, Rue couldn't look into her older brother's eyes. Seeing her hard gaze at the ground with her clenched fists had given away her answer.

"Do you… Really have to go…?" She looked up again when hearing the whispering, shaking voice of her younger sister, who appeared between her and Jericho. From up close, it looked like she had been crying again, tears going down in twin streams. "Ate Rue…"

"…I have to." She finally answered after a long time, her voice hoarse, her eyes latched firmly onto her siblings now with a strong resolve. "That is the duty of an Exorcist. We'll… We'll have to…"

_Separate. Once again, we'll be torn apart, just like before._

"Just…" Her breath hitched sharply, already feeling a strong pain in her heart, disregarding the sentence she stopped herself from completing. "Just wait for me, okay?"

Rue hugged her sister, resting her head on top of her own, looking lost in thought. At the gesture, she could feel Claire hug back tightly, delicate fingers clutching her Exorcist coat, sniffling as she did. Jericho approached them slowly, reluctantly, taking both of his sisters in his arms to give them—and himself—comfort. He wasn't crying as his face was dry, but his eyes revealed an immense heartbreak in them. They stayed like that for a long time. The Finders saw this, giving them the privacy they needed. The Exorcists, however, had no clue what was going on between the three, so they hoped Rue would give them an explanation later on.

Then, the inevitable; all of them heard the train roll in, the horn tooting and the wheels screeching because of stopping on the tracks. The Marucut siblings pulled away, in that slow, reluctant way. As the Tiedoll unit boarded the train, with Rue about to follow in, Jericho and Claire stopped her for even just a moment.

"Before you go…" Jericho handed her back her—no, their—father's pocket watch, squeezing her hand gently. "Here. There's something I've put inside there, so make sure to look at it when you go inside the train."

Rue felt a tight hug from her waist, looking back to see Claire smiling sadly with her tears.

"Take care of yourself, Ate. And don't worry… Kuya Jericho and I know that you still have something to do, so… It's okay. Just as long as you stay alive…"

"You take care of yourself too, Claire." She patted her sister's head, wiping her tears with a gloved hand. "Don't cry… We'll see each other again."

"Do you promise?"

"…Yes." A warm light was in Rue's eyes. "I promise to come back alive."

"Don't push yourself, squirt." Jericho murmured softly, messing up her hair and kissing her forehead, an action that still made Rue flustered.

"I won't, Kuya." She nodded, squeezing his hand. "Take care of yourself and watch over Claire too."

The train horn boomed loudly in the platform, signalling the departure.

"All right, I'll be going now, Kuya, Claire. And it's not a goodbye… It's a see you later." Then, she nodded to the Finders in appreciation, to which they responded with smiles. "Armando, Edina, and Toma; thank you guys for assisting me on this case, it was a lot of help because there was a lot of work involved. Make sure to come back safely to the Black Order, okay? *Ingat kayo."

Jericho gave her a casual salute, smiling wryly as he did, while Claire waved goodbye with a wide smile as if masking her feelings. Rue gave a little wave, turning away from them and going into the train. As she entered inside, she leaned against the door and bowed her head, not moving for a long time, even when the train had already moved on the tracks. She didn't know how long she had stayed like that, but she had gotten up and walked to the first class section, where her companions were most likely waiting.

Entering quietly, she closed the door shut, her bangs into her eyes. The Tiedoll unit didn't seem to be surprised when she had finally stepped inside or maybe they had noticed her delay as Daisya was about to remark that it took her long enough to come in; but seeing the emotional state Rue was in clamped his mouth shut. Marie said nothing, but he had sensed something from Rue, but he had no idea what. Kanda merely looked up, but he frowned, feeling a little bothered about her – but, he still shrugged it off, telling himself that how the shorty acted was none of his business.

Daisya tried to approach her, to ask her what was on her mind, but Rue only shook her head at him. He knew what that meant: it meant that Rue either didn't want to talk about her issue or she wanted to be alone for a while; maybe it was both. So, he only nodded to her in response, giving her space, but not before squeezing her shoulder. She nodded, feeling Daisya's unspoken support soothing her, and she gave him a brief hug in gratitude. Marie only patted her head, a gesture that seemed to have calmed her down because of its unspoken reassurance, though she still felt dejected. Even so, she held his arm briefly, trying to tell him in her own way a thank you.

When she entered another compartment in the first class, she sat down in the chair and tended to her wounds from the medical items in her pouch, letting the silence envelop her. Remembering what Jericho said, she gazed at the pocket watch, reflecting for a moment. Then, she opened it.

And what she saw in there made her feel a lot of things, things that she was still unable to describe.

The portrait of her parents still remained where it was. However, there was another picture in front of it. A portrait of Zack and Cecilia was there, but there was a big change in it. All three of the siblings were in there, making it a family picture. Claire, who was an infant at the time, was held in Cecilia's arms. In front of the parents was a happy eleven-year-old Jericho, who was hugging a smiling three-year-old Rue.

Rue wasn't sure what to think anymore, the emotions inside her intensifying, tucking the watch into her shorts pocket.

_Why do I feel like this now? Why?_ She felt a lump rising in her throat, which was hard to swallow down. _I don't know what to do… It feels just like…_

A certain person popped into mind, the smiling face of Lavi.

_Just like that time when Lavi was gone. What… _She chuckled a bitter laugh to herself, her hands covering her face. _Am I lonely again? _

"…Deja."

The golem popped out from her hair, giving her a confused and concerned look.

"Contact Sir Komui. I need to talk to him. If we can't reach him in Black Order H.Q., we'll have to transmit the message to Allen's golem, Timcampy."

* * *

Going around Germany due to Timcampy's vague sense of direction on General Cross's whereabouts, Allen, Lenalee, Komui, Bookman, and Lavi were on another train, talking about what happened in regards of General Yeegar's assassination, every Exorcist in the Black Order guarding the Exorcist Generals, the Noah family, and the Heart. However, it looked like Timcampy had a message for he/it wouldn't stop flying around.

"What's up with you, Tim?" A confused Allen asked as he held out his hands, letting the golden golem perch on them. As if answering the question, he/it pointed to an equally puzzled Komui.

"Huh?" He pointed to himself. "Me?"

It nodded.

"Maybe it's a message?" Lenalee wondered if that was the reason Timcampy was moving around so much. "And if that's the case, who's it from?"

"Maybe from Kanda or someone from H.Q." Komui took the golem from Allen and spoke to him/it. "Hello? Komui speaking."

At first, silence on the other side, though he could hear background sounds of another train. But he finally heard her voice, which was barely above a whisper. On top of that, it sounded rather weary, despite the calm tone she was trying to keep in place.

"…Sir Komui…"

This worried him, recognizing the voice at once.

"Rue?" This had shocked the rest of them in the compartment. Allen was bursting to say something, likewise with Lenalee, but they kept quiet. Bookman looked mildly surprised, but it had disappeared just as it came. But, Lavi looked like he was the most stunned of them all, but he was trying hard not to show it.

_Rue? _He thought with numb shock, his heart hammering like crazy. Countless thoughts were racing in his mind; out of anticipation, anxiety, excitement, hope, and perhaps even longing. _Could it be…?_

_Yeah. _Deak affirmed with an indifferent voice. _It's her. It's been a long time, a year and some, since hearing the kid's voice. Wonder what happened to her, though._

"What happened?" Komui was urgent, pressing. "Are you all right? Did the mission go okay?"

Another lapsing silence, which had made all of them at the edge of their seats with suspense, anxiety, and confusion, wondering what could've gone wrong.

Then, he heard it. They all heard it.

"…Fail…"

"Rue…?"

"I… I failed my mission… I…" A thick gulp could be heard when she spoke, along with the shortness of breath and, surprisingly, a cracked voice. It was like she was having difficulty speaking. "I couldn't protect the Innocence… I can't call myself an Exorcist, not when I'm like this… And I…"

They heard another gulp, her breath shaking. At this, Komui wondered what she could be thinking right now as she needed someone to talk to. Could she be shaken because of the reality of her profession? Could she be feeling pain, emotional pain? Could she even be scolding herself for not being a competent Exorcist like she should be, like she was supposed to be?

"I had to leave them behind… I had to leave my siblings behind again…"

"Rue…" Komui murmured gently, his worried eyes melting into sadness, understanding why she was in such a state. Of course he understood her completely on being separated from loved ones, having been apart from Lenalee himself for a long period of time until he entered the Black Order as Supervisor for her sake. His gaze flicked upwards to Allen and Lenalee and he nodded silently, he was telling them to be there for her.

"Hey, Rue?" Allen spoke gently, taking Timcampy from the supervisor. "It's me, Allen. Lenalee's with me too."

"Yep, I'm here, Rue." Lenalee addressed her friend through the golem, looking concerned. "You sound awful."

"Allen, Lenalee…" Rue paused, pondering on what to say next. She managed to speak again, each word difficult to speak than the last; a throaty, bitter laugh coming out with them. "Yes, you're right. I'm not well at all. I feel… Lost, hollow. I think you know why since you guys are with Sir Komui and overheard it."

Allen laughed nervously and Lenalee grinned sheepishly at this.

"It's fine, it's not like I'm angry at you guys for hearing me talk to Sir Komui, anyway." Obviously, they couldn't tell what facial expression she had on her, but they could already imagine her giving a casual shrug. "All I needed was someone to talk to."

"That's okay." Allen reassured her, smiling slightly. "You can talk to us anytime since you do have a golem of your own, after all."

_The golem I made for her. _Lavi thought smugly, satisfied that making Deja was a perfect present for Rue.

"Yeah, Rue. We may not be there by your side, but whether we're near or far… We're still your friends." Lenalee said encouragingly. "So, don't hesitate when you need to talk to us."

_She's lonely and feeling self-loathing towards herself. _Lavi mused with a slight frown, feeling his heart squeeze at the thought. _That's probably why she sounds like this. Damn it, if only I could talk to her right now and tell her everything will be all right…_

_But, you can't. _Deak warned him. _The old man is with you right now, so it's risky if you try making contact with her. Wait a bit longer since it sounds like you're going to cross paths with her sooner or later. Talk to her when Bookman's not around._

The Bookman apprentice only sighed in defeat, knowing that the alter ego was right. Bookman gave him a questioning look, but decided not to press on the matter.

_Besides, _he was starting to tease him, but only for the sake of humiliating the 49th persona on the spot. _I know you want to see her in person, so be a bit more patient._

_Shut up, Deak. _Lavi growled back, wounding the orange scarf closer to his face, so he can hide the blush that was blooming. _It's because I haven't seen her for a year, so it can't be helped._

_Sure, that's what they all say~_

"I feel a little better now… Thank you, Allen, Lenalee, Sir Komui." Rue's voice sounded a bit lighter, though it still held a hint of doubt. However, there was a dry chuckle from her. "Heh, I can't help but feel strange about this…"

"Huh?" Allen and Lenalee were puzzled at this. "Why?"

"Well, it's because I'm coming to you guys like this when I should be shouldering this on my own. I would've gone to Daisya and Marie, but I wouldn't know what to say to them."

"You don't need to say anything, Rue." Komui finally spoke in a kind voice, knowing how close she was to her unit. "You already know those two understand you well enough since they've been your teammates for two years. The days when I see you looking discouraged, they're always by your side, even though you're not saying your feelings out loud. And… Whether he wants to admit or not, even Kanda could understand you since you guys are pretty much the same."

She snorted in disbelief, though this was to be expected. This was definitely the Rue they all knew when it came to the topic of her rival.

"Hah, the day Kanda understands me will be the day that we'll become best friends. And we all know that's not going to happen any time soon, if ever." Lenalee giggled at this, Allen and even Lavi, despite himself, were grinning widely at this. Komui only shook his head, though he couldn't help but feel amused. Bookman, while keeping his face neutral, had both eyebrows slightly raised.

"So, don't worry." Though there seemed to be a sly grin on Komui's face. "If I find you doubting yourself again, I'm definitely putting you in a dress the next Christmas party."

All of them could hear Rue going in a violent coughing fit at such a proposal. Perhaps, she was drinking something this and hearing that threat made her choke. Lenalee shook her head, giving Komui a disapproving frown. Allen looked out of it, maybe because the thought of Rue being in a dress was a bizarre mental image; he couldn't see her in such clothing at all. Lavi chuckled to himself, knowing Rue well enough on how awkward she felt towards femininity in general.

"Don't even think about it, Sir Komui." There was a low growl in her cold voice, sending chills down everyone's spines. "Or do you want to meet the daggers again?"

"I-I was only kidding! Don't kill me!"

"Hmph, I thought that'd make you change your mind. Anyway, since we're looking for General Tiedoll, I'll get some sleep. It's been a long day and I need to rest up." To emphasize, they heard Rue yawn. "I received injuries in the solo mission, but I'll be fine. Getting some sleep should calm my nerves and prepare myself to battle Akuma with all of my strength. So, goodbye to you guys for now."

The call disconnected, leaving everyone to their own thoughts. Lenalee gave Lavi a quizzical look, asking him with her eyes why he didn't talk to Rue. Or maybe she already knew why, but she was still compelled to question it to make sure.

However, the Bookman apprentice only shrugged to her unspoken question, focusing his glance to the train's windows to look at the scenery.

It's all right if Rue didn't know Lavi was with Allen and Lenalee, it's all right if he didn't talk to her directly.

He could wait. If he had waited for a year; then, it wouldn't kill him to wait a little longer.

They would surely meet soon.

* * *

Back in Austria, they all remained there at the train station. The Finders, Jericho, and Claire; they still stayed there. The Finders looked sympathetic, unsure on how to comfort the siblings. Claire just stood where she was, her long hair obscuring her face, but they suspected when seeing her head bowed down, she was hiding her tears. Jericho looked depressed, his eyes filled with hurt, and he paced about with stress.

"It can't end like this…" He muttered seriously, clenching and unclenching his fists, his mouth a thin line. "It can't end like this for us… No… I won't let it!"

He punched a nearby pole, causing the Finders to jolt with shock from his outburst. They all took a glimpse of his face: it looked angry, upset, and determined all at once.

"Claire."

"What, Kuya?" Her voice was thick with sobs, still keeping her gaze away.

"Let's go back home and pack what we need. We're leaving Austria."

Her eyes widened and she looked up at him, tear streaked face and all.

"W-What? To where?"

What he said next shocked both her and the Finders into speechlessness; from his tone of voice and face, it showed that he was truly serious on considering the plan he had in mind.

"To England, we're going to the Black Order."

* * *

Hitomi: There we go, all done.

*sniff* I really have no comment at all, I don't know why. It could be because I got sad when writing certain scenes in this chapter. And considering I was listening to the song, Friends (second ending song in the anime, Gundam 00), by Stephanie, when writing this, it really sent me to tears (especially when you translate the Japanese lyrics to English, you'll see that it really fits the chapter).

Ahhh, this is such a depressing chapter! Seriously, never mind the humor I had put in there, I still find this a little sad in spite of it. But, it's good to have family always there for you and friendship too. So, I wanted this chapter to come off… Well, I don't know. While it's an emotional chapter, I also wanted lightheartedness as well. While it holds a sad vibe, I also wanted to put some encouragement in there as well. An encouragement to not give up on life, despite going through one bad thing to the next, to believe that there's happiness somewhere…

Even if Rue is going through so much right now, I know she'll be able to overcome it.

*Ingat kayo - This is Filipino for "All of you, take care."

In other news…*grinning* YES, LAVI IS OFFICIALLY BACK. XD You can all start cheering/squealing/making some noise now because I already know you guys had been anticipating it for a long time. I, myself, am ecstatic to finally have him back in the story. Hehe, wouldn't Rue be in for such a big surprise~

Originally, I would've left Komui and Rue talking about why she had been so down. But since I remembered that a little after the Rewinding Town Arc that Komui was with Allen, Lenalee, Bookman, and Lavi on the train, I decided to write this scene instead. Yes, I know I didn't let Lavi talk to Rue, but how could I when Bookman was around? And you already know how Bookman is when it comes to people, emotions, and getting attached, so, of course I had to keep that in character; especially when he was suspicious of Rue to begin with a while back. So, for now, Lavi has to lie low with it.

*smiles* Couldn't resist Deak poking fun at Lavi because of Rue, though, in spite of how OoC that may be.

But, as you've read… *slight smile* The chapter didn't ended like you thought it did. So, at least we know Jericho and Claire won't give up since they love their sister too much.

And so, it ends, this mission and the Rewinding Town Arc~ Ohoho, I look forward to writing Chapter 30 now and you already know why!


	30. An Unexpected Rendezvous

Hitomi: Man, it's gone this far already? XD Really, it feels like a dream when I've started writing thirteen-year-old Rue joining the Black Order to live for herself, breaking the cycle of the bloody assassin life. Time passed and she slowly came out of her shell, becoming human little by little…

But, there'll be more difficulties for Rue, in spite of this.

Thank you so much for the support, you guys. Let's keep watching over Rue.

Midnight Hikari – Well, as a Bookman, he has to maintain himself when it comes to interacting with people. But, being surrounded by people he slowly considers as his friends, Lavi can't help but feel the emotions, anyway. So, it is bittersweet when you read on how Lavi can't talk to Rue, even though he can hear her. Yep, Jericho can't stand the fact Rue's away from them again (and Claire strongly agrees with this), so both of them will be joining the Black Order. XD Yep, the Tiedoll unit pops in, so it's good Rue had allies in her mission (though she still prefers working alone). ^^; And I made you cry again?! I'm sorry! And yeah, it's okay, I don't mind if you use the idea of Deak speaking in Lavi's mind (well, I had the idea since Deak was the 48th persona/name before Lavi, so I made him an alter ego of sorts).

TheSeventhLie – Yes~ XP Lavi is officially back! o_o And I thought it would be obvious why I'm excited to write Chapter 30! It's because that's when Lavi and Rue will meet for the first time in a year. XD I'm not revealing how, though. Reading this chapter will have you find out about it.

Kevin-niichan – Actually, Kevin-nii, I'm following Unravel with the DGM manga, not the anime (which is where you probably got that from). By the time the Rewinding Town Arc was over and Allen and Lenalee met Lavi and Bookman… On the train to find General Cross's whereabouts (not before Allen and Lenalee needed to recover themselves after the Rewinding Town Arc and Lavi and Allen battling a horde of Akuma), Komui had already said General Yeegar was assassinated and it's the reason why every Exorcist in the Black Order was assigned to guard the Generals (the Tiedoll unit were already on the move) and that was before Allen and Lavi met Krory. Gack… More writing errors… *GLOOM* Ugh, I really, really need to work on that more. *sighs* Back to the writing corner. *groans* I think I'll use my summer vacation to improve my writing a bit more. XD Well, I couldn't help myself but think of the Soba Akuma (and yeah, needed to torture Kanda with it too). As for the Akuma ideas you've given me… I shall use them some time in the future. Though, concerning Rue's parents, we still don't know what happened to them. I've yet to reveal that too…

Soulless Ghosty – Hehe, Lavi's back after a year of absence~ Well, of course it's depressing! XD How do you think I felt when I wrote it?! *grins* Couldn't help but put in the Soba Akuma (seriously, the Gummy Bear one was what started this crazy idea too…), so yeah, an [intentional] irony that Kanda had to fight it. You're welcome. Well, can't be helped if I'm updating often since it's summer vacation in the Philippines and all. Plus, I love writing, so seeing readers/fans anticipate the next chapters of my writing makes me motivated. ^^ Glad to hear that you love this story too, thank you. And nah, no need to apologize for misunderstanding last time!

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

* * *

**Unravel**

**XXX**

**An Unexpected Rendezvous **

[_I never thought I'd see you again._

_I've been waiting all of this time…_

_But, you're finally back._]

* * *

In the daytime, waiting for the train…

"Allen. Hey Allen, wake up~" Lavi was coaxing his companion out of his slumber, making doodles on his sleeping face with a paintbrush as he was doing so. "The train is here~~"

"What the Hell are you doing?!" Bookman snarled, punching his apprentice onto the bench they were sitting on.

"He's dreaming about General Cross again!"

And so, Allen was as his words came out from between snores, "Master's not human…"

Meanwhile, Lenalee rushed into the scene with her bag in hand, calling them, "Everyone, hurry and get on! If we miss this one, there won't be another train until tomorrow!"

Now on the train, Allen finally woke up and headed off to the bathroom with Timcampy holding a towel for him. He sighed, muttering to himself all the while he was washing his face, "Haaa~ As soon as it was decided we're going after my master, my dreams have gotten worse and worse… Simple idiot…"

_But, that's how things are. I can't be complaining._

As he washed up, he recalled the conversation, regarding their current party guarding General Cross. Needless to say that Komui had gone insane on this one since General Cross had been gone from the Black Order for so long.

"Capture?" Allen asked himself in an afterthought, the last thing he recalled was Komui babbling on how they'll trap General Cross like a trapped rat. Removing his bandage and poking his still closed left eye, he mused, "I still can't see anything, but it doesn't hurt that much anymore, so it should be fine if I take this off."

On the way out from the bathroom, he found Lenalee alone, leaning against the wall near one of the train's doorways.

"Lenalee? What are you doing here?" He questioned, approaching her.

Although she was smiling, there seemed to be something amiss as she answered it was nothing and stalked out of the room. He didn't know what to think of it, though he was nervous.

Back in their compartment, Bookman laid out a world map and spoke seriously, "Now… Let's start by putting our information together."

"What, you took it off?" Lavi whispered with a snicker, mouth behind hand in an attempt to stifle his laughter, referring to the doodles he painted on the younger male Exorcist's face. "But, it was such a funny face…"

Annoyed, Allen snapped back him with a fierce whisper of his own, "Quit it already."

"Stop talking, you two." Bookman shushed them; then, decided to press on an important matter. "Currently, we're proceeding towards East Germany. How's Timcampy doing?"

Because of General Cross's circumstances, the golden golem was to act as a guide, a compass.

"Still pointing straight to the east." Lenalee replied, a slight frown on her face.

"If the General is far away, he can't receive more than a vague sense of his direction." Allen explained. "That means Master is still pretty far away."

"Where in the world could he be?" She mused wonderingly, looking at the map. "General Cross doesn't claim expenses from the church, so we don't have any receipts from him."

"Eh?" Lavi was confused at this. "Then, how does he pay for everything? Out of his own pocket?"

"Master borrows money." Allen responded with an anguished sigh, deciding to tell the truth. "Master lives off his lovers and acquaintances in different places. I didn't even know about claiming receipts until I joined the church. When we were really broke, I made some money by gambling."

The atmosphere turned to a dreadful one with Bookman, Lavi, and Lenalee being horrified from hearing such a thing. Clearly, it was summarized like this: "You went THAT far…!?"

"Eh?" Puzzled, Allen's head swivelled this way and that, oblivious to the fact that what he told them made them like this. "What? What?"

His eyes suddenly met with Lenalee's, but then…

She averted her gaze, breaking eye contact.

_She turned away!_ Allen noted with his own shock, depressed about it.

"By the way, Allen, you still can't open your left eye?" Bookman asked as he was the one to treat Allen and Lenalee's injuries after the Rewinding Town mission. "Get that eye healed, so you can stand watch for Akuma. Judging from the message from other groups, we can assume that Akuma will try to stop us. To get to the General, we'll be travelling on trains for quite a while. We need that left eye, so we can make swift judgments to keep civilians mixed up with Akuma."

"Understood…" The boy responded reluctantly and Lenalee looked lost in thought.

* * *

At a stop with a sunset in the sky, stocking up for food before their next ride, Lenalee was paying for the food. Someone called her attention.

"Lenalee."

Turning around and looking over her shoulder, she found a hesitant Allen standing there, scratching the back of his head.

"That… Come to think of it…" He murmured, anxious. "Ever since that time, we never really talked… I think…"

She kept quiet, a neutral look on her face, but she seemed to be willing to listen.

"About that time…"

What he was referring to was what happened during the Rewinding Town mission. During the battle, an Akuma had been obliterated by a Noah named Road Kamelot. As Allen was going to save it and the soul inside by exorcising it, Lenalee had stopped him. He shouted at her, asking why she did that. In return, she had slapped him in the face, crying, "Because we're friends…!!"

"I'm very sorry." He bowed to her, emphasizing further with his apology.

With a struggling face, Lenalee had approached him and placed the food bag on his head with both hands, keeping it there.

"Ehuh?"

"Don't lift your head yet!" She finally spoke, commanding him.

"Ha? Ah… Yes."

"Because I haven't forgiven you yet." She stated with a calm voice, her expression unreadable; then, she continued. "You're so selfish, Allen. 'No one can see the Akuma's soul but me…' …Carrying the burden all by yourself and sacrificing only yourself in battle."

The tears in her eyes began welling up as she resumed speaking out her true feelings, all the while with Allen having his own regretful face.

"What are we friends for? Don't make a fool out of me… Why won't you let me… Fight by your side?"

In a breakdown, Lenale fell to her knees and cried, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. At this, Allen had knelt down to her level, keeping the bag of food on his head.

"I hate it…" She said in between tears. "Your left eye… I hate it…"

"Sorry…" He apologized, feeling bad that she was crying because of him. "Lenalee. Thank you for helping me."

She suddenly looked up with a teary-eyed glare, which caught him by surprise.

"I'll **always **help you!"

Abruptly, she got up, snatching the food bag out of his hands and stomping back to the train.

_So… She forgave me?_ Allen was still baffled about it. _Somehow, it seems like she's still a bit mad…_

But, he never gave it another thought as a small smile surfaced on his face. It was good for him and Lenalee to make up.

His thoughts were interrupted as the train whistle blew, signalling its departure.

"Shit!" He got up, breaking into a run. "I gotta get on…"

But, a hand on his wrist stopped him.

"On your chest… Is that a cross?" The stranger asked.

As the train left the station, Lavi noticed what was amiss.

"Huh? Where's Allen?"

* * *

_It's been a few hours since leaving Austria. I'm with Kanda, Daisya, and Marie, travelling to find General Tiedoll due to a mission Sir Komui had assigned to all of the Exorcists. We're already in Germany, asking people if they've seen our master, but not much luck. General Tiedoll does travel fast, that's for sure._

_But, it's like I don't feel anything anymore. It's only been a few hours since going somewhere else, but I feel so… Down. Well, of course it's natural to feel this way, right? I'm trying not to feel this way, but I do. Well, how else am I supposed to feel when I just parted from my older brother and my younger sister again? It feels like… A piece of me is lost…_

_Heh… I'm not supposed to feel anything because of my former life before being an Exorcist. And here I am, feeling a lot than I ever have._

_You understand me better than anyone when it concerns something like this because we're pretty much the same. You're a Bookman, after all, which means you're supposed to not have emotions (I found that out through Sir Komui a while back). But, sometimes, you can't help but just feel, even though it's supposed to be against your system. _

_We… We really are messed up, aren't we?_

_I still feel like a failure too; not only as a worker in my previous profession before, but being an Exorcist now. Yes, I had failed my first solo mission, failed to protect the Innocence that Claire had. After all of the training sessions I had with Kanda and slowly making progress with my Innocence, I thought I was more capable than this. I thought I would be able to __fulfill__ my duties like I usually would. I know things aren't perfect, but I still wanted to do my best. But now, I feel like I didn't do my best at all, like I'm nothing. _

_I really am a… Failure, aren't I? _

_Heh, writing that down just left a bad taste in my mouth._

_But, this is how I honestly feel._

_Am I really good for nothing in this life?_

_And if that's true, what is my purpose in living, then?_

_What's the point of being an Exorcist if I can't even do my job right?_

* * *

The Tiedoll unit had already arrived and went around Germany, trying to find clues of their General's whereabouts. They had asked around, questioning people as much as possible, but there wasn't much accomplishment from it.

Of course, there was always the usual. While this wasn't an Innocence case, there was really no helping it when Akuma decide to put up a fight with them on their search for their master. Though Rue wouldn't say it out loud, to her, they really were like a bunch of cockroaches.

By nightfall, there had been no luck on their search. And the Akuma they just encountered didn't help either with the news of another threat lurking about and slowly rising to power.

"Ghehehehehehee! It's pointless! Pointless!" A crazed and injured Akuma shrieked from the floor, looking up to the serious-as-ever Kanda, who had Mugen out. "You can't help the Generals! Noah's family and the Akuma are going after them as a giant army! Even as you guys are beating me up at this very minute…"

The last words it had uttered as Mugen struck it in the head.

"Shut up." Kanda growled sullenly, an irritated look on his face.

"Let's go, Kanda." Marie called him from outside, where he was waiting with Daisya and Rue.

"Hmph!"

"How annoying." Daisya muttered grumpily. "We're not making any progress at all; they just keep coming one after another."

"They're trying to stop us." Kanda remarked.

"It's hard enough to catch up to the General." Marie sighed while Rue nodded in silent agreement.

"Hpt!" Kanda growled again, looking worked up at the mention of the General.

"What?" Marie looked at him. "Are you annoyed, Kanda?"

"I am NOT."

"Who knows when we'll catch up to him." Daisya pointed out, looking a little tired. "Looks like the one we're looking for, General Tiedoll, isn't in town anymore. Geez, the guy's faster than a speeding bullet.

"No matter what you call him, he's probably painting something somewhere." Marie remarked in agreement, looking faintly amused.

"Ahaha…" Daisya turned to Kanda as if to get him involved in the conversation. "We have a weird master, right, Kanda?"

The response that he got back was a chagrined mutter, "I despise that old man."

Both of them looked at him with mildly surprised faces; then again, it was no surprise, considering how General Tiedoll acted towards them.

_He's got a bad temper… _Both thought uneasily. And knowing Rue, she was probably thinking about this too, but she seemed to be lost in her own thoughts.

"Well…" Daisya was trying to search for words; then, finally making a small remark out of consolation. "At least he's better than General Cross."

Rue wasn't listening to her teammates; rather, her eyes looked blankly at the night sky, keeping her emotions to herself. Though it was true that she was a little concerned about General Tiedoll, she had other things in mind. Deja was perched on her shoulder, although she/it kept stealing glances at her/its mistress from time to time out of confusion and concern.

_Already, I feel a sense of emptiness. _Rue sighed to herself, rubbing her temples. _Well, I wasn't supposed to get attached to Jericho and Claire, even though they're my siblings, because I would only put them in danger. And the Innocence… _For a moment, there was a facial expression of self-disgust, but it disappeared swiftly before anyone else could make it out. _I failed to protect it. I'm supposed to be a professional Exorcist! I know this was my first solo mission, but to think it would end in failure…_

"Oy, shorty, are you still moping about your failed mission in Austria?" This had snapped her out of her thoughts, facing a haughty Kanda. "Then again, I can't blame you. It was your first solo mission and you blew it. You see how I defeated the Akuma back there when we were trying to get information about the old man? That's how real Exorcists get the job done."

A flash of anger was felt, but she had been restraining it ever since they left Austria.

_And ever since Kanda found out what happened on the mission, he hasn't stopped lecturing me about it. _She thought darkly, keeping her face blank of emotion, but her blood was boiling. _Let it go already, will you?_

"And this is why I said you're weak as an Exorcist when you first came in the Black Order." There was a cold smirk on his face as he said this, his voice holding a trace of mockery. "Even though I've trained you for two years to get your synchronization rate up, you ended up making fatal mistakes in your first solo mission. Not only had you failed to protect the Innocence, which is supposed to be one of our goals in the first place as Exorcists, but you had sentiment get in the way of your thinking. Those two that were in the mission… You seemed to be close to them."

She twitched at the mention of her siblings, but kept silent, concentrating on looking straight ahead as she walked. Rue had no intention of speaking about Jericho and Claire to him since it was none of his business in the first place. However, she could feel everything inside her crack, ready to make Hell break loose.

"Weak." Kanda scoffed softly, shaking his head in disappointment. "You're still weak, shorty."

"Kanda, don't…!" Marie warned him, feeling something sinister from Rue.

"Oy Kanda, don't you think you're going a little too far?" Daisya cut in, feeling a heavy sense of dread as he looked worriedly at Rue, who, by now, had an unreadable look on her face. "We all know Rue hadn't succeeded in her first solo mission, but give the kid a break. She's still learning. Of course there's going to be a lot of ups and downs, especially when it comes to being an Exorcist, but no need to make her feel bad, especially when you've already told her off about this ever since we departed from A—"

That did it.

This was supposed to be expected. Of course it was supposed to be expected because it was Rue Marucut, someone who had a lot of patience. So, it was only natural for someone like her was bound to finally crack because one could only take so much.

The final straw, she couldn't take it anymore.

Before they could even blink, something whistled in the air and pinned to a nearby obstacle. Daisya looked shocked, his face pale and mouth agape, once he saw what the object was. Marie looked like he was wincing, perhaps half-expecting this to happen. And Kanda, being the target and victim, felt his eyes widened a little in surprise. Pinned to the wall was a dagger, which had narrowly missed him. Only a graze on his cheek was the dagger's mark, but nothing serious.

All three turned to Rue, whose eyes were hidden by her hair. However, they felt a murderous air around her as she slowly approached towards Kanda's direction, passing by him without batting an eye, and prying her knife out from the wall.

Sheathing it and turning her back to her teammates, she addressed them in a calm, cold voice, "…I'm going for a walk."

And nobody had the guts or heart to protest this as the Tiedoll unit watched their teammate walk away into the dead of night.

One thing was certain from what they had witnessed: Rue was angry; really, really angry.

* * *

_It's not like I asked for your help. _Rue seethed to herself as she walked around town, soaking in the peaceful scenery of bright street lights and people passing by. _I would've preferred someone else to train me when I joined the Black Order, but they say Kanda's the best one there was when it comes to training. So, even though I still don't get along with that fool, he made me become the Exorcist I am now._

_But…_ The tight feeling of restrained anger was building up in her chest, a dark look on her face. _He still sees me as weak. He says that I'm not a real Exorcist. Well, fine. Let him think what he wants, I don't need to prove to him how strong I am since I already know that I am capable of doing things on my own. That's already been proven during my assassin training and when I was back in the Underground Society. _

She sighed, her eyes dull with melancholy.

_If Riley heard about me failing a solo mission as an Exorcist, if he was with me right now… I wonder what he would think. _She sighed again, remembering her older brother figure and his gentle aura, squeezing the heart locket pendant he gave her all of those years ago in her hand. _Knowing him, he'll probably encourage me to do better. I know Daisya would do that too, though in his own way, and…_

Her eyes brightened a little, her expression softened, replacing the dejected look that was there before. If people wouldn't know any better, maybe they would think that she was thinking about a special someone.

_Yeah… I'm sure Lavi would've cheered me up too if he was around right now._

Rue shook her head softly, making her way around the place, trying to get her mind off of the Bookman apprentice. These days, when thinking about Lavi, her face grew hot and her heart beat fast. Sometimes, her heart would be filled with pain due to his lack of presence and she would be wondering how he was doing on his mission, what he would be doing during those days, and if he was taking care of himself. When someone would mention him, she grew flustered and, sometimes, became clumsy in her usual duties. There were also times when she recalled memories of him if she was alone, going into a time-to-time phase of nostalgia.

And up to now, she didn't understand why.

Sure, Rue missed him. Of course she did, she admitted this herself a few times, even to herself (despite how it took her long enough because of denial). Lavi was very close to her and, without him being around in the Black Order doing his usual things, it wasn't the same. It always felt like something was missing.

But, was there more to it than just missing him? And if so, what was it?

_I don't understand. _A small, hesitant voice spoke at the back of her head. _I still don't understand emotions, most especially this one. Maybe I should ask General Tiedoll about it when we find him. Because this is really troubling me a lot._

Then, she frowned slightly, recalling the conversation between the unit and the Akuma. More or less, it had made her quite wary.

_The Noah family, huh? Supposedly descended from Noah himself… And from what it sounds like, they're in league with the Millennium Earl and the Akuma…_

Rue shook her head, not wanting to think about the enemies anymore. There was always a sinking feeling in her stomach when she thought about it since she was already aware that being an Exorcist has gotten more treacherous than before. Of course she was already aware of this; even so, she wouldn't run away, even though she felt fear towards the Millennium Earl the first time she saw him (or, in her dislike towards him, it).

_Damn it, why did I have to tell Kuya Jericho and Claire about my true identity? _Her mouth was in a thin line at this thought. _It was for the best that I should've lied to them in order to protect them. But, what's done is done, I can't take it back anymore. I just hope… They won't target them…_

She was so lost in thought about a lot of things that she didn't take notice on where she currently was. By the time she really decided to not think about anything, period, her eyes looked around cautiously in unfamiliar territory. She realized she was on a platform, a train stop…

Hearing voices not too far away, Rue cautiously took out a dagger and approached from where the voices were coming from.

"The train… It left…" A voice muttered in shock and despair. "The train…"

She stopped in her tracks.

_That voice… Could it be?_

"I'm very sorry, Master Clergyman. But! You are needed here as well…" The second voice, then, escalated to a pleading shout. "Please do something to save our village, Master Black Clergyman!"

She frowned at this, making quick steps. Finally, she saw what was in her view. Two people were there on the platform. One of them was a middle aged man on their hands and knees, grovelling. This must've been the owner of the second voice. Then, the first one…

As Rue walked closer to them, her eyes widened a little to who was with this stranger.

"Eh?" The boy looked bewildered at the other's request, wondering what this was about.

"…Allen?" Rue called apprehensively, not quite believing that her comrade was here, quickly sheathing her dagger. Wasn't he supposed to be with Lenalee?

"Huh?" Allen looked up, surprised too. "Rue?!"

The older man turned around and looked up at the female Exorcist, his confused face breaking into a smile.

"Another Black Clergyman, eh?"

* * *

On the way to their destination, which was a quaint village, the man introduced himself as Georg and he was the mayor of the village and his family business was selling boxed lunches.

Going into what looked like his house, Georg slammed the door open, announcing to the occupants while carrying a surprised Allen and a calm Rue, "Everyone! Our prayers have been answered! Two black clergymen have arrived!"

"No, I'm not, really…" Allen tried to protest, but there was point of doing so. Rue just kept quiet, letting this situation happen.

Once the villagers saw the Rose Crest on their uniforms, they all went into an uproar of jubilation.

"UWOOOOOOOOO!"

"It's a miracle! It's a miracle!"

"There are two black clergymen!"

"Hunh?!" Allen blurted out, shocked, as Rue only sighed.

The next thing they knew, both didn't know why, but they ended up getting tied up to chairs by ropes. Perhaps, it was to prevent them from escaping. And so, the situation was explained like this…

"A vampire?!" Allen shouted in disbelief. Rue, while still keeping silent, looked serious, her eyes sharp at this piece of news.

"Yes." Georg replied gravely, explaining all that was needed to be known. "For as long as anyone can remember, a fearsome vampire has lived beyond this village! Its name is Baron Krory. You never see him out during daytime. During the night, human screams can always be heard from his castle. They say that those who enter the castle never come out alive…"

"No way… A vampire in this day and age…?" Allen murmured sceptically, but seeing the scary look Georg gave him made him reconsider. "Sorry. Please continue."

"But as long as we stayed away from the castle, we were in no danger of being attacked by Krory. But, one night, suddenly…" He paused a moment, remember grimly on what he was about to tell the two. "The first victim was an old maid. Krory killed the old woman by sucking her blood until her body evaporated."

"No waaay…" From a barrel, Lavi popped out of it, listening to the story the whole time. Allen and the villagers didn't expect this, all of them jolting in surprise. Rue was so immersed in the tale that she, too, was shocked, taking out a dagger first thing and ready to throw it.

"Wh… Who's this guy?!" The villagers were freaking out about it.

"Lavi!?" Allen shouted, surprised and scared at the same time. "Why are you here? Why did you pop out of there?!"

_Lavi? _When hearing Allen say that, Rue took a peek with a side glance, her heart racing. _Lavi… Is here?_

"I came to look for you." Lavi replied bluntly, giving him a deadpanned look. "What are you doing here?"

"Ha!" One of the villagers whispered to Georg. "Mayor! On that young man's chest…!"

"Aha!" He saw it, all right, the Rose Crest on Lavi's coat. "It's another black clergyman!!!"

He sicced the villagers on him.

"Get him!"

"Yay!"

"Don't let him get away!"

"Lavi!" Allen cried out, horrified to see the villagers pounce on Lavi to tie him up. And Rue only sighed again.

Once Lavi was tied up with Allen and Rue, Georg continued to explain further. From what the three could gather, General Cross happened to pass by this particular village and said before he left that if anything happened to Baron Krory, he told Georg to tell another Exorcist about it. And ever since General Cross had left, nine villagers had fallen victim to Krory as his prey. So, after untying the three, the Exorcists and the villagers had set off into the forest to go to Krory's castle. By a golem (most likely Lavi's), Lavi and Allen told Lenalee and Bookman about their situation and they all agreed on taking up this side quest since it was under General Cross's orders.

"And get this!" Allen talked into the golem, after taking Lenalee's warnings on not to get bitten by Krory. "Rue's with us right now!"

"Huh?!" Lenalee shouted, surprised. "Rue's with you guys?! Rue! Can you hear me?"

"Don't worry, I hear you, Lenalee." Rue finally spoke up, her expression faintly warm when hearing her friend's voice. "I'll be keeping them safe for you and make sure they don't get bitten by this Krory."

Hearing that, Lavi finally realized that nagging feeling he felt the whole time wasn't just him. When he took a peek at the third Exorcist with them, his heart was racing. He felt his face grew hot and he was grateful for the scarf around his neck, clutching it close to his face to hide his blush.

_I… I wasn't prepared at all. _He thought with a slight chuckle, taking a good look at Rue. _She's changed, though it's hard to say how as I can't tell. But, it's definitely… The same girl… Why… Why am I nervous now? _He shook his head, trying to stay calm. _It's just Rue. Then again, I haven't seen her for a year… I guess I must've missed her._

He groaned inwardly, his face hotter now.

_Idiot! What are you thinking?! _

Rue took a look at Lavi again, feeling her face flush at the sight of him. She felt a constricting feeling in her chest and her heart was beating so loudly, blocking out every sound. Her emotions were jumbled and she felt confused, unable to understand why.

_It's been a year, hasn't it? Lavi's changed too, but I don't know how much… Even so, I shouldn't feel nervous around him at all. _She resisted the urge to kick herself. _It's Lavi, so why are you so anxious all of a sudden? Go on… Talk to him… It's okay… Because you wanted to see him so much, right?_

Considering this, she fell behind to keep some distance from the group for a moment. Likewise, he did the same.

For a moment, the two were left alone in their own world, unsure of what to say or do. Rue couldn't look at him in the eye, her eyes on the ground as she shifted her feet. Lavi watched her, unsure on how to acknowledge her, but he was smiling slightly.

_Yeah, _he drew near to her, a gentle expression on his face. _I can't deny that I missed her a lot._

As Rue had finally gathered her courage to greet the older boy, whatever she was about to do was stopped as she felt a familiar, loving warmth around her; Lavi had gathered her in his arms. Her eyes widened a moment, but she felt her small arms embracing Lavi back tightly out of their own accord. She breathed him in, his familiar scent filling her senses.

"Lavi…" She started, swallowing thickly, the emotions in her overwhelming and ready to overflow. "You're back, you're really back… I can't deny the feelings anymore… I…"

She drew a deep breath, looking up at him. He looked back her expectedly, silently giving her courage as he always did.

"I missed you. I really, really missed you."

Lavi was taken aback at her honesty, at her emotions. Surprise turned into a soft, warm smile as he hugged her tightly again, knowing that this was definitely Rue with him right now.

"I know, I did too…" He murmured lovingly, resting his cheek on her head. "I told you that I would keep my promise, Rue."

* * *

Hitomi: Done~ Kyaaaaah~! *hopeless romantic mode switched on* So much fluff! Not only with Lavi x Rue, but a little bit of Allen x Lenalee (which I got from the manga). Most of these scenes were from the manga, but I still managed to add some stuff in there that weren't around.

XD Most especially the scene between Kanda and Rue when she ended up throwing a dagger at him out of anger. *coughs* Now, you know not to mess with her if you keep lecturing her like that, Kanda.

If you're wondering what that whole scene in italic was, that was the exchange diary of what Rue wrote in regards to the Austria mission. But, not to worry~ Jericho and Claire will be around in the Black Order! Although I'm still thinking what position Claire should be in since she's not an Exorcist anymore…

Ohoho, Rue is starting to acknowledge her feelings for Lavi a little more, but she still doesn't understand. XP Can't wait to write that scene when General Tiedoll will have to explain to her what love is. *cracks up* There'll be a total misunderstanding to that too… And Lavi~ You better realize it too!

*is happy* Now, Lavi and Rue are reunited at last. But… Since they're back together again… *frowning* There'll be more things to worry about; like Bookman, for instance… *shakes her head* So, it's time to make them face some trials…

All right~ Time to go through the Krory arc! And then, let's have Rue continue her search for General Tiedoll once she's back with her team again.


	31. Three Strikes, You're Out!

Hitomi: Whoa, whoa, whoa! *falls over in shock* Well... This chapter has gotten a lot more reviews than expected. Then again, Lavi x Rue are back together again after a year. But, while they're not a couple yet, I did say this is only the beginning for them of things to come... XD What the heck, should I even be surprised anymore?! Really... *smiles* Thanks, guys. As usual, your feedback means a lot to me.

Midnight Hikari – XD LAWL, the moment I wrote the reunion scene between Lavi and Rue, THAT SONG was the first thing that popped into my head! *grins* Why am I not surprised that you were practically screaming at that part? Yeah, I know Kanda was mean, but isn't that the type of thing he'd do? At least I see it, when it comes to keeping him in character. But yeah, Rue's always up for anything. So, let her keep fighting. XP And I see, too much pancakes. *pats head* But, I'm glad to have made you happy.

TheSeventhLie – The chapter is something to look forward to, yes? XD And no worries, I am definitely writing that scene. Makes me wonder what Rue will do during that time... Try helping them? Or fight against Eliade, most especially because of... Well... *coughs* You know how Lavi is, so once he hits on Eliade, this is going to give Rue an... Interesting development. You'll see. ^^ And no problem, look forward to the next~

Heartbringer – Yep! They're both back together after going through their own obstacles. So, it makes me glad to see them again. But, it also makes me dread on what'll happen in the future.

Kevin-niichan – Yep, I'm using the manga's canon to write DGM. Adding in Episode 44 with the Lavi x Lenalee pairing in it... I think I'll make that a side story since it's like a "what if" kind of scenario. Especially since it's hinting on the Lavi x Lenalee pairing (believe me, I adore that pairing too, but I still feel strong towards Allen x Lenalee), so it'd be interesting to see what Rue's reaction is. But yeah, I think I'll add in Episode 45... This way, the Tiedoll unit will spend more time together on looking for General Tiedoll before... Daisya's demise.

Soulless Ghosty - ^^ You're very welcome. I guess this chapter gives you a sense of hope, yes? Glad to have made you happy too. And also, thanks for your suggestion in the PM!

Random-Crap-to-the-Rescue – Actually, I've seen your name on FF . net, so I know you a little. No need to apologize for that. XD Besides, it tends to surprise me when hidden fans of this fanfic come out, so I'm surprised now. But, at the same time, I'm happy too. And really, you will? Thank you! That really means a lot to me.

CollKenn – No, I don't mind the review's length; actually, I've been more than willing to read it. I've already intended when first writing this fanfic that Rue will not be the Heart (because, really, saying that she's definitely the Heart will irk people when we all know what canon has spoken: the fact still remains that either Allen or Lenalee—maybe the both of them, for all I know—would happen to be the Heart). I've already made it all too clear that I wouldn't make Rue the Heart. I only added that in because if anyone were to analyze the situation, especially with how Rue's Innocence reacts to her, it's possible. Rue was a person who was initially emotionless, but because of hanging around in the Black Order, she changes herself little by little. The Innocence seems to react to that. That was the reason why I had made her synchronization rate low in the beginning and didn't let the Innocence reveal its power unless someone would finally get some reaction out of her (as you've read in the fanfic, Kanda had managed to get something out of her during their training session – anger, which made the power of fire come out). While I'm sorry you thought of it that way, I will make it clear that I don't intend to make Rue the Heart. Yes, I know there is more than one way to write a Mary Sue, but I'm taking steps on not making one. Actually, to be truthful, there was someone I know that made a rant on how everyone's getting out the Sue stamp without analyzing the character carefully as he/she progresses in the story. So, to give you an accurate definition of a Mary Sue, I will quote from this person: "A Sue is a character that is the author's darling, that always gets their way, never gets hurt no matter what happens, has awesome powers nobody else has, gets the main role of the story and succeeds with no effort in whatever it is they're doing. Get it in your heads."

Fairy Skull – I'm very happy to hear that. Look forward to it, then~

It'sDarkinHere - *grins* Yep, Lavi's officially back, hehe! XD And listen to the person here, Rue, you miss him and you can't deny it! *dodges a dagger* Anyway, it's all right if you haven't reviewed for a while. I had a feeling it's because you have something to do, right? Yep, I'm slowly making progress in this work (and all the while, still making mistakes when I don't mean to). Let's see how Rue will react once she finds her siblings in the Black Order… Thank you~

Now then… Shall we begin this?

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

* * *

**Unravel**

**XXXI**

**Three Strikes, You're Out!**

[_That familiar emotion comes back to bite me again._

_Could it be…?_

_No, of course not…_

_Then, why do I feel a thorn somewhere in my heart?_]

* * *

And so, it had come to this. After actually having met Krory and getting bitten by him, all the while having a certain someone tease him on how Lenalee was never going to speak to him again, Allen, Lavi, and Rue had made their way into the huge building that was Krory's castle.

"Geez, why do Exorcists have to exterminate vampires, anyway?" Lavi groaned, not liking the idea.

"But, isn't this strange?" As they walked up the staircase, Allen frowned with the revealation of General Cross having been here before them. "I wonder what this vampire business has to do with Master. What was Master doing here…? When you think about it, doesn't it seem a little strange that Master left that message, telling us to exterminate the vampire?"

Turning to Rue, who had been quiet the whole time, Allen asked her, "Aren't you scared?"

"Scared of what?" She asked calmly, oblivious to the atmosphere the castle was giving off.

"There's no point of asking her that, Allen." Lavi pointed out with a grin, shaking his head. "As long as I've known her, the kid's not scared of anything. So, something like this isn't all that surprising to her."

"So, you do know each other, after all! Thought it was suspicious, but now that you've spoken about it, sounds like you two know each other for a long time. Well, then…" A sly grin appeared on the younger boy's face. "Care to share what happened when we were on our way here? Before you decided to turn up again, I noticed you two disappeared for a moment. Where'd you go?"

At the mention of this, the Bookman apprentice blushed as red as his hair, remembering of their reunion earlier as he didn't give a straight answer. Instead, he scoffed, mumbling something or another that it was none of the beansprout's business, which made the other male react violently at the nickname. Seeing him with that kind of reaction, the tomboy quickly averted her gaze to a different direction. Though she had a blank expression as if having not heard what Allen asked, there was a small, hidden part of her that was aware of it, if only vaguely…

_It's been a year since seeing Lavi. All of this time, I had been doing my Exorcist duties, but I still kept him in my memory. _She clenched and unclenched her fists, unsure of what to think, ignoring the squabbling between her two companions. _And yet, there was something tense between us just moments ago… _

_Well, you missed him. _A little voice whispered from the back of her mind. _There was no denying that you did. You've been able to recognize such a feeling because of him, though you indistinctly felt it in the past when Riley would be away for a long time on long term assassin missions._

_ But, that's different. Riley's my caretaker, like an older brother I never had (well, until I knew Kuya Jericho had been alive all along, looking for me, but I still cherish Riley as family). Lavi, however… Lavi is…_

_Isn't Lavi close to you too? He had been there for you since he brought you to the Black Order. Shouldn't that mean anything?_

She stopped walking, letting that go around and around in her mind, struggling to find some sort of meaning to it.

_Lavi's your friend._ It continued on, a serious tone to it._ We can attest to that, everyone in the Black Order knows this. Isn't he what you call a special friend?_

_ A special friend? _From that thought, it only made Rue frown with confusion. _What do you mean?_

_ Well, it is as it sounds like. I will ask you again, only let me be blunt about it, since you really don't understand: isn't Lavi the one who's closest to your heart?_

Countless memories were unlocked from her heart and mind, overflowing in that instant. There had been a lot of good and bad memories with him, perhaps more than anyone she spent time with. No doubt there were also treasured memories with the Lee siblings and the Tiedoll unit, even Allen too, but Lavi gave a true sense of definition the moment he had entered her life.

Unforgettable, inerasable, irreplaceable… If one could suddenly forget the meetings and recollections they had with the people in their lives, living under different circumstances, would they be the person they are now?

Without meeting the Black Order and everyone in it, without crossing paths with Lavi and Kanda those two years ago, would Rue still be the person she is now? Or, at least, be given a sense of who she is?

_Think about what I asked and you can give me your answer at any given time. But, both of us are sure of one thing: Lavi changed your life. Who knows… You may've found your purpose already, having stayed with the Black Order for two years now._

The voice became silent, leaving Rue alone in her thoughts once more.

_My purpose in this world… No, I still don't know it and I don't think I've found it yet… _One of her hands cupped her chin, her usually sharp eyes unfocused in thought. _ But, now that I think about it…_

It had already been clear what ties she shared with certain people in the Black Order. Komui and Reever were her superiors, so she thought of them as such, though she couldn't help but think about them as family every now and then. Jerry was her mentor in cooking, but she grew fond of him for his passion of cooking and enthusiasm of those who would eat to their hearts' content. Lenalee was her best friend, the first female friend she had gained in her life if memory had served her well, and the older sister she never had. Kanda, Daisya, and Marie were like brothers to her while General Tiedoll was the loving, doting father figure. Allen became the younger brother Rue never had, so she couldn't help but look out for him, despite being the same age as him. Armando was a long time companion, having grown up in the Underground Society together, while Edina was slowly getting there as a friend.

_Now that I think about it, what __**is **__Lavi to me?_

Her train of thought had been cut off as screams of panic echoed throughout the area. Cursing under her breath for letting herself get so lost in thought when they were on a mission, she had ran over to where her companions were.

What greeted her eyes was something she hadn't foreseen.

You'd think that Lavi would be more alert, being trained as the Bookman heir and fighting his fair share of Akuma, but he had been, somehow, knocked out. Perhaps, it had been the smoke that was surrounding them that she, somehow, didn't notice. It gave off a sweet smell, though, which had Rue block the smell with her cloak around the lower half of her face as she was precautious. Then, there was Allen hung up by some sort of sticky thread, about to be eaten by a carnivorous plant.

From the room they had entered, it may as be suitable to call it the garden or the greenhouse as all three Exorcists were surrounded by the carnivorous plants.

"Allen, are you all right?!" Rue called to him, activating her Innocence.

"From what it looks like, no!" He shouted back, having fought off one plant with his Innocence. "Man eating flowers…"

_Why in a place like this?!_

"Lavi!" He cried out, seeing the unconscious redhead about to be eaten by the plants.

While dragging away a human corpse, Eliade had no idea of the ongoing chaos until one of the plants broke through the wall.

"Oh my…" She mumbled, off to check it out.

"Lavi, wake up!" Allen shouted again, trying to destroy the plants with his now laser cannon arm.

"Lavi, wake up already." Rue commanded sharply, Deathtrap and Lifeline on fire as she spread her flames to ward off the plants.

"Damn it, it just sticks on more… Lavi, WAKE UP!"

Just when the Bookman apprentice had woken up, it was then Eliade chose to show up.

"Hey, you humans over there!" She yelled out, looking really angry. "What are you doing?! These babies are Arystar Krory's precious flowers!"

It looked like Lavi got shot in the head, what with the stunned look on his face as he had his eyes on Eliade.

"Exorcists…" She murmured warily, a dreadful feeling inside her once she saw the Rose Cross. However, there was one other matter. "I feel some kind of lusty stare…"

Her attention was captured once she saw the dazed Lavi now in his lovestruck mode.

"STRIKE!!!"

"Eh?!" Allen, having not experienced this when being together with Lavi, looked baffled at his comrade's reaction. Rue, however, only sighed at this, shaking her head.

"Lavi?" And so, this was when the younger male was trying to snap the older Exorcist out of his flirtatious mode. "Hey! Hey, Lavi!"

"Oh my~ Tee-hee~!" The Akuma in disguise loved the attention she was getting from Lavi, giving him a flying kiss that really riled him up.

" LAVI!" Poor Allen had been ignored, ready to be eaten by the plants. Rue tried helping him, but it was no success as her firepower wasn't enough to free him from the nature snared trap he was in while she had trouble fighting off the plants too. All the while witnessing the coquettish exchange between the female blonde and her redheaded comrade, she felt something else unlocking from within her…

"What a cute kid." She remarked coyly, certainly taking a liking to the Bookman apprentice. "How about it? Wanna be my lover?"

"Really?!"

**WHACK!!!**

"LISTEN TO ME!" Impatient, Allen had ended up snapping at Lavi and got him out of his flirting mode by punching the top of his head with his fists. "We're about to be eaten! Why are you so concerned about **that**?!"

"Allen, you're such a brat!" Lavi retorted, mildly annoyed, calling him such since it was obvious the kid wouldn't know about beautiful women like he would.

"WHAT?!"

Rue began to have a headache coming on, feeling a **little something **lurking somewhere from her mind and maybe even her heart…

_That again, huh? _She mused, feeling something prickling at her, like a thousand needles poking through her skin. The fires on her fists were growing now, burning with unspoken sentiments the Exorcist was keeping to herself. _It returned again… And again, under the same circumstances like the past two times, with Lavi being like this and the targeted female being like that._

How the two male Exorcists were shocked when the embers on their companion's hands had ignited on full charge, like firecrackers or a bomb that had suddenly detonated. Though Allen and Lavi had no idea what was going through Rue's mind, they both knew her Innocence synched with her emotions.

Could it be that she was angry?

And if so, about what?

She shot a look at Eliade, who seemed to be offended when Allen labelled her as some sort of object. With one hand on her hip, the Akuma in disguise declared, "I am Master Arystar's assistant, Eliade. Why have you come here?"

"Vampire extermination." Lavi's straight answer.

"We're looking for the villager the Baron took with him!" Allen answered promptly.

"Villager? Ah, this?" She lifted up the corpse with one hand. "I was just about to bury it now. If you want it…"

She tossed Franz's corpse to the plants below.

"You can have it."

"Franz…?!"

With Allen watching helplessly, the corpse had been captured by one of the plants and had been eaten.

"Wha…?!"

"Hmph!" Eliade was smugly satisfied.

The plant seemed to have loved their meal too. Yet, within moments, the familiar, black pentacles affected all of the plants in the room. The three Exorcists were surprised at this, unsure of what to make of it, but something told them that they had to escape and fast. And so, they were about to as the room suddenly exploded, making a hole to the outer walls of the castle.

"GRAB!!!"

Both Allen and Lavi had climbed out from the now damaged wall from under the debris, looking like they had survived Hell.

"Ugh! We… We're incredible!!!" Lavi clamoured, breathing heavily as he was on his hands and knees. "I thought we were gonna die. For a moment, I **really **thought we were dead!"

"That hurt!" Allen moaned in pain, wincing. "Got by with just a few bruises. This specially made coat is really something…"

"Can I throw up a bit? My stomach got hit…" And so, the Bookman apprentice crawled to the ledge, vomiting.

"But, wait a minute…" Allen got pale, realizing something was wrong. "Where's Rue?!"

Now that he had mentioned it, when Lavi was done retching, his head swivelled this way and that. In horrified realization, it did occur to him that Rue was missing and not with them at all.

"You mean to say she didn't survive the blast?! Oh no, Rue, you were too young to die!"

"What are you panicking about?" His golem flew out from his pocket and above him, no doubt Rue's blunt voice was coming out from there. "I'm alive, you two. Don't write me off as dead yet."

"What the?!" Very relieved, Allen piped in his input. "You managed to escape the explosion?! How?!"

"Well, the detonation had suddenly hurled me back to the way we first came into the room." Was it just them or did it sound like she was wincing? "So, I did take a hard hit while landing on the floor. You guys investigate what's going on with Baron Krory… I need to handle personal business."

"Personal business?" Lavi frowned. "With who?"

"…Ms. Eliade." There was an icy tone to her voice now. "I need to settle a score with her."

"Eh?" This shocked them both. Lavi began once more, coughing a little, "You have something against that beautiful woman?"

"…You can say I also have my suspicions of her too; that, somehow, she fits into this so-called vampire extermination quest. But, there's also something else that I have to talk to her about."

"Oh Rue, what do you take against her? She's beautiful and charming! For all we know, she could be harmless~" And there, Lavi had gotten into Strike mode again, which made Allen shot him a dirty look and an eerie silence from Rue.

"Rue?" Allen spoke up, concerned on how she suddenly got quiet. "Are you still there? Are you okay?"

"…Yes." If anything, Rue really sounded scary now, especially with the slight growl in her voice. "I'm still here and I'm just **fine**."

A sharp click was heard, indicating that the lone Exorcist hung up. Somehow, Allen had gotten a bad feeling about this and it may not also have to do with just Eliade.

"Is it just me or did Rue sound irritated just now?" Lavi asked curiously, his frown returning.

_Somehow, _Allen thought to himself, rolling his eyes at his companion. _I've a feeling Lavi's involved with this too. I wonder why. Unless… Rue is…_

Stalking around the dark halls, having made sure to conceal well once Krory had swiftly gotten out of his place to hunt down for Allen and Lavi, Rue was determined to find Eliade. Deja trailed behind cautiously, keeping a good distance from her/its mistress as she felt a dark aura surrounding her.

"What's this…?" Rue muttered darkly to herself, running a hand through her hair a couple of times before letting the palm settle on her forehead. "Why do I feel so vexed? Is it because of…"

Replaying in her mind was the coy exchange between Lavi and Eliade, her mouth a thin, grim line. With a tsk, she picked up the pace of her steps, wanting to settle this with Eliade herself.

Turning right, she found herself in an unknown room (then again, they were in a castle, so there's bound to be rooms like this, anyway). But, she sensed that she wasn't the only one inside.

In the same room all by her lonesome was Eliade, who had her neck bitten because of Krory. As she felt her skin regenerate from the wounds, she felt something in the dark. As she turned around, at the exact moment was when a gloved fist shot out, burning with flames.

Fully turning around, she backed away, arms in some sort of stance. Greeting her eyes was Rue, who had willed the flames to disappear from Deathtrap.

"Heh, nice dodge for an ordinary woman." Rue remarked icily, her eyes sharper than ever. "Or is it all just an act?"

"So, the Exorcists have survived, after all. Well, that figures." A smirk graced Eliade's beautiful face, studying her up and down. "It's all the more better for my Arystar to have his meal. After all, nobody gets out of this castle alive."

"Oh really?" She still kept her neutral face. "Well, I'm afraid I'll have to change that. My companions and I will come out of this alive, no matter what Hell you and your vampire give us, Ms. Eliade. And also…"

Her stance was taking at the offensive, legs back and arms up with clenched fists. With Rue's Innocence activated, there was fire that radiated from both Deathtrap and Lifeline. Eliade grimaced once seeing the Innocence, knowing that she had to be wary with this one.

"Try not to act so close around people you don't know, okay? Because some people don't like it."

* * *

Hitomi: There we go~ XD Well, I don't know if you guys will be satisfied with this or not, ahaha. Once again, some of the stuff here was derived from the DGM manga in the Vampire arc.

And so, it begins. *grins* Rue's jealousy is finally out in the open. It's finally opened up after witnessing three scenarios of Lavi in his Strike mode and flirting with the girls and said-girls flirting back (that's also why the chapter's name is like that, it's referring how it took Rue three times to slowly realize she's jealous when it comes to Lavi). So, let's see if she'll be able to realize why she feels that way (but first, she needs to realize the feeling she holds is jealousy).

Lavi, this is your fault too, so don't think you'll get off the hook easily~ XD You don't even know she's mad because of you while Allen already has his suspicions! I pity him for that…

All right, guys, I'm letting you know I'm travelling back to New York this upcoming Thursday and having a vacation there for a month. Since all of my loved ones—including my immediate family—are back in the U.S., I'll be spending the rest of my summer vacation with them before going back to the Philippines. So yeah, this is to let you know that I may not be able to update my writing as much if at all while I'm in New York, considering I'll be hanging out with friends and what not.

But, no worries~ XD It's not like I'm going to quit writing fanfiction!

Anyway, be seeing you~ *smiles* And let's look forward to the next chapter!


	32. Red Zone

Hitomi: What? Surprised that I've written a chapter of Unravel before leaving for the Philippines? Well, there is a good reason for that. If anyone has read my new one-shot fic, Imperfect Valentine, then you would know why. If not, lemme tell you~

It's Unravel's one year anniversary today! *SMILE*

So, the one-shot (Imperfect Valentine) and the chapter update are just two of the stuff I've in mind to make this day special! As for what I still plan for it… Well, I'll tell you at the end of the chapter, mmkay? But, this is also to show you guys on how your support and feedback on my writing is appreciated, so this is my way of saying thanks!

Soulless Ghosty – Thank you~ And no worries, I don't intend to leave Unravel incomplete until I finish it (and then, write the sequel).

Midnight Hikari – Damn right Lavi's in trouble! And poor Rue, huh? She still doesn't understand emotions and the nagging feeling of jealousy finally pushes through! Well, Rue isn't the type to just fly off the handle, so I was just waiting for such an opportunity (making her finally realize the emotion of jealousy, I mean) to happen as well. And thank you~

TheSeventhLie – XD LAWL, hilarious review. And DUDE, I'm definitely writing that as an omake now! *grins* Let's see how Rue will react, though, mwahaha!

Fairy Skull – Glad to hear that you like this chapter! XD Looks like people were anticipating on Rue to snap when jealousy finally kicks in.

Random-Crap-to-the-Rescue – You're welcome! And yeah, really; Rue, jealous? DOES NOT COMPUTE.

Heartbringer – Of course she would be mad about it! Glad you like it too and, no, thank you for giving me feedback and supporting me in writing this. XD Yeah, Lavi's so dead, but we've yet to see how Rue will confront Lavi directly on the issue.

Momokobo - ^^; You read all of this instead of doing your homework? XD Apologies in advance for distracting you with this! Really? Well, I've heard that I still have writing mistakes here and there, but I'm glad that you say that they're less apparent. *sighs in relief* Good, least I feel like I'm improving now, somewhat. *nods* Glad to also hear Rue isn't a Mary Sue either. Yeah, taking vacation here would mean it'll take me a while to update, but then, I remembered this fic's anniversary (AKA the date it was published on), so I thought why not. Nah, don't apologize for the review length, I love long reviews too. ^^ I'm so happy that you love Unravel, thanks! And I definitely will keep it up!

*evil grin* Time to let some sparks fly!

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

* * *

**Unravel**

**XXXII**

**Red Zone**

[_Even the coldest of hearts can feel the slightest warmth_

_When they finally realize why they feel the way they feel…_]

* * *

While Lavi and Allen were busy fighting Krory, after they had investigated the pentacle covered garden, another fight had been taking place from inside the castle. Though they had been at it for a while, and both sides adding injuries along the way, they still have the intention to stop.

"Oho, it seems that I've struck a nerve in you somewhere during our encounter if you wanted to pick a fight with me." Eliade sneered, gracefully dodging a wind blade with ease, being wary of the Innocence. "You look mad."

"It's none of your business on what I'm feeling right now, anyway." Rue deadpanned, summoning jagged rocks from the ground with Deathtrap and clutching her stomach with Lifeline. Though the older female had managed to dodge most of it, she cursed slightly as one rock managed to cut her arm. "Besides, there's something suspicious about you and I don't like it."

"Maybe you're just imagining things." With unexpected speed, Eliade gave Rue a good kick in the stomach, sending the Exorcist onto the floor. "And as for telling me it's none of my business to know your emotions… Well, it is. You did say not to get too close to people I don't know because some people won't like it, right?"

The Exorcist's eyes narrowed at her, but stayed silent.

"Were you, by any chance…" A wide smirk grew. "Referring to using my charms on that cute redhead you were with earlier?"

Rue's lips clamped into a thin line, her teeth clenched. At the mention of this, she got up and hurled a fireball at the female. Laughing, she easily evaded it.

"I see… So, that's it… I was right." Not wanting to reveal anything peculiar, Eliade continued on with physical attack. "You feel the urge to kill me because of that. And that tells me it's because of what you feel towards the redhead. He's close to you, isn't he?"

"…I've no idea what you're talking about." Igniting a spark on Deathtrap, the Exorcist had tried to strike the older female with fire.

_Impossible… It can't be that emotion… No… _

"Hah! There's no point of denying it… You're lying. But…" A ghost of a sad smile appeared on Eliade's face, for a moment looking as human as she, an Akuma in disguise, could get. She didn't even mind that she took Deathtrap's hit onto her side. "We really are the same. Wanting to have something that could be ours, but we can't due to the way we are."

"…Meaning what?"

"I'm talking about wanting to be normal. To be human, to feel… To love."

_Love… _Rue thought absentmindedly, her heart giving off a dull pain. _And this feeling… Triggered because of Lavi and this woman…_

_ Why do I feel like this?_

Before contemplating on it further, Rue felt a sharp pain on her face. The next thing she knew, she found herself on the floor again, lying down this time.

The last things she saw were a smirking Eliade and her vision in red… Feeling the oozing blood from her head… Then, it all faded to black.

"About time." Eliade huffed, worn out from the battle Rue had given her, trying to keep her balance. "It took her a while to finally take her down, but it's done. Damn, that fire from the Innocence hurts like a bitch."

_But, there's no denying it. _She thought at the back of her mind, walking out of the dining room._ Looking into that Exorcist's eyes, seeing that pain… We're the same. We want to love, but we can't due to how we are._

With Lavi knocked out, Allen had to fight Krory on his own. Blocking the "vampire's" bite to save himself, the vampire retaliated by sending him flying to a direction.

"Ugh…" Allen managed to flip his body over onto one of the castle's battalions, successfully landing there. But Krory had no intention to stop as he nosedived from the air and barely missed the white-haired Exorcist.

_Such speed! _Allen thought, paling as he climbed up the structure.

"Krory! We have no intention of exterminating you now!"

No words could get through as the older man continued on his assaults with fast kicks and punches.

"Stop whining!" Krory barked out, a feral grin on his face. "Are you scared of seeing your friend die?"

Recalling that Lavi had been unconscious and words not getting to him, Allen had reverted his Innocence back to normal, a burst of blood blowing up from his left shoulder when doing so.

_He disengaged his weapon? _Krory thought, bewildered of the unexpected action.

"Listen to what I have to say!" Allen declared, looking at him straight in the eyes. "All of the villagers' corpses in the garden are Akuma. Did you know that? Arystar Krory, are you _**really **_a vampire?"

"A vampire…?"

Before he could even blink, Krory grabbed Allen's head from behind and bit his right shoulder. Allen staggered back, holding his now bleeding shoulder, panting.

"I don't know anything like 'Akuma.'" The "vampire" answered, some of Allen's white tresses captured in his fangs. "I just like the thrill of the hunt. Life is to be savored! Everyone would want to live freely, their instincts unfettered. Let someone else tell me how to live my life? My apologies, but I must decline! So, I kill. And I'll kill you too."

Flying at full speed, Krory tackled Allen hard into the castle wall, making another hole and sending him back inside. From the impact of it, the young Exorcist had been knocked out.

"Hmph, already finished?"

Another blast from the wall coming from inside made its move, followed by a giant hammer and a figure standing on it.

"Peh! Don't think you can fuck with me, bastard!" Worn out and bloody, Lavi called out, grinning widely. "I'm a bit pissed. I think I'll bloody you up a little bit before sitting down to talk!"

With a grin, Krory obliged.

"Sounds like fun."

Barely standing, and still being alive, Allen slowly walked his way into the castle's corridors.

"Ouch… Ugh, it feels kinda like my head got hit really hard…" No doubt he was feeling weak due to the massive blood loss. "I'm seeing stars sparkling all around, just like that time I got blindsided by Master…"

Hearing the battle from outside, he commented, "Sure is noisy out there."

_And I'm worried about Rue too. _He thought with a frown. _I haven't heard from her ever since she decided to confront Eliade on her own. Did something happen?_

"I gotta get back out there fast…" Because he was using the wall to support himself up, his hand pushed one of the bricks in the wall through. Like a button, it slid inside and the whole wall opened up, revealing another room.

"Ouf! Eh! Ugh!" With the wall suddenly opening up, Allen had made a _very graceful entrance_; that is, if you call falling into the room that.

"A hidden… Door… Where is this place?" From the books and the shelves, it was definitely the library he stumbled into.

Then, a strange noise could be heard…

"Wuuuuu… Wuuuuu…" Then, he saw it. On the wall where the light reflected, a giant, monstrous shadow could be seen. "Wuuuuu…"

Suddenly, a noise startled him, causing him to avert his gaze. The secret entrance has closed up with a loud slam, a click following it afterwards; it was as if it had locked itself.

When he turned back to the wall, the strange shadow was gone.

"Not there…?"

The next thing he knew, he was slammed into one of the bookshelves by a strange hand. The culprit was Eliade, who happened to snuck up behind him.

"Wha…?"

"Oh my~ If it isn't the white-haired kiddo. I _**told **_Arystar to slaughter you… _**Really**_, what a bother…"

_That wound! _His thoughts screamed, seeing Krory's bite mark on her neck.

"Ow!"

"Well… Fine. I'll dispose of you, then, just like I did with the tomboy." The younger boy flinched upon the mentioning of Rue. "I did want to try it once, anyway… The taste of an Exorcist's blood."

And her pretty face morphed into a familiar, ugly one.

"Entering this castle… Will be your final regret!"

Meanwhile, from outside, Krory and Lavi still kept the battle going. Lavi seemed to be making fast assaults with his hammer as Krory was keeping up parrying them.

"…Is why! Akuma are machines that wear human skin!" Apparently, he was explaining to the "vampire" who didn't get the Holy War at all.

"Hmph!" Krory grunted back, still blocking his blows.

"You know, you were sucking Akuma blood."

"Hmph!"

Finally stopping their sparring, Krory had to point out something.

"Eh? If that's true, then I would have died from the poison in the blood. I'm not buying it."

With a shrug and a smile, Lavi retaliated with, "Uh-uh~ Hold on a minute, actually, ya know there are also cases where they don't die—"

Pointing a finger, he continued his explanation, grinning all the while.

"Here's what I think. You are the same as Allen, a compatible person with a Parasitic type Innocence that neutralizes poison. Without realizing it, you've been targeting Akuma… Ain't those teeth o'yours Innocence?"

At this point, Krory had no comment, silent. Lavi only smiled, giving a peace sign.

"If you enjoy huntin' down Akuma, join us and you can hunt 'em to your heart's content, eh?"

A hand on his head, the Bookman apprentice mused, "You're strong. Back then when I was explainin' everything… It didn't look like you were holding back, so…"

Finally making up his mind on what to do about this situation, the elemental seals of his hammer were summoned and surrounding him, Lavi had one last thing to say to this.

"Gimme an answer when you wake up, mmkay? Krorykins."

Back in the library, Allen had his own troubles with Eliade, especially with his body being at its weakest. Eliade kept Allen pinned to the wall with her morphed hand, which resembled a spider web.

He coughed violently, unsure on how long he could keep this up.

"What's wrong? You were breathing just fine a minute ago." Eliade taunted, letting him suffer as she pleased. "If you don't put up any resistance at this rate, your chest is going to be crushed."

Breathing shallowly, each inhale difficult than the last, he began to see his vision slowly blurring.

_Hot… I don't want to do a thing… It feels like something sucking all the power from my body… My senses are going dull… Want to sleep…_

Eliade's other hand had punched him in the face without warning, perhaps a way to make him pass out faster.

"Aw… No response? Or is it that you don't feel up to it?" Eliade cooed, still keeping him pinned in place. "Perhaps you took a lot of damage from Arystar. Hmmm."

There was a murderous look in her eyes, licking her lips a predator before its prey.

_No… No, don't sleep. _Allen commanded himself, struggling to keep awake. _Can't feel pain or anything… Senses are paralyzed… If I sleep now, I'll be killed. Talk! Use your brain!_

"Don't plan on… Exterminating… Arystar Krory…" Despite his words coming out jumbled, he was trying to keep awake. "You… Have no reason… To fight…"

"Oh." Eliade was mildly surprised. "He spoke."

"He… Is not a vampire or a monster… Probably our… Ally…"

At the horror of such a realization, Eliade punched Allen again. And with that truth, she began to laugh madly, punching him repeatedly all the while she was doing it.

Now holding Allen by the collar in a tight hold, she forced him to look at her in the eye.

"Ally? Are you an idiot? He's a vampire!" Despite the sleepy look in Allen's eyes, he saw barely just a trace of emotion on her pretty face, revealing a little that Eliade loved Krory. "Do you think I'll let you take him away…?"

But, it disappeared as a murderous, crazed look appeared in her eyes.

"So, I'll kill you all…"

Releasing him, Eliade hurled the boy through the bookshelf, making a hole in it and sending him flying. He landed face first, unmoving. Not too far away was a giant axe, which Eliade had gotten out for situations like this.

Grabbing the axe and slowly approaching Allen, Eliade kicked him from the floor to make him face to the front.

"Extend your neck." She commanded threateningly, her dark motives unfurled. "I'm going to drain your body of all the blood and hang it at the castle gates. That way, no one will dare come close to this castle anymore.

As he was unconscious, the female Akuma raised his head by the chin with the axe, revealing his neck. As she lifted the weapon up, intending to kill him once and for all, the frenzied look in her eyes returned.

"I can present this guy's life in exchange for Krory's; I can gain credit for it as well."

The axe swung down, but it met with a clang. Confused on what was going on, Eliade saw that Allen's left hand—his Innocence—stopped the blade and pushing it away.

"Che! He's still moving?"

Upon closer inspection, however, she jumped to a surprising conclusion.

"This guy… Isn't conscious…?"

Sure enough, it was true. Despite Allen's left arm acting on its own accord, the boy was still unconscious. Smashing the axe's blade, the left arm transformed into its Innocence state, the silver claw, ready to engulf Eliade. But, it had narrowly missed, only tearing off a piece of cloth from her.

With her heart hammering like mad, her eyes widened as the claw lifted the unconscious Allen to his feet.

_This child… His left hand is moving of its own accord?_

A black star with a D on it appeared out of nowhere, transforming into a floating skull. The skull integrated inside of Allen, making his left eye transform into a more powerful version. Though still unconscious, the left eye detected that Eliade was an Akuma, seeing the trapped soul inside of her.

_I'm back, Allen. _Somewhere from inside, Mana was calling him. _The darkness has returned…The sensation has returned…_

Opening his eyes, now out from his unconsciousness, Allen remarked quietly, "You're an Akuma."

"You're a strange one…" Eliade commented, still on the ready to fight.

He didn't seem to hear her since he was recalling what happened on the day he had killed Mana a long time ago, when his Innocence first activated. Even though he had killed Mana, having revived him as an Akuma when he died, he still intended to be an Exorcist. But, the pain of losing Mana again was too much for Allen. And so, Allen could still hear Mana's words, as if parting with him for the last time.

"_If that's the case… Go deeper. To a world darker than black, brighter than white… Embrace it."_

Now snapping out it, he returned to the present, seeing Eliade was still there. Currently, she was still dusting herself off.

"Geez. You damaged it, you really are a nasty brat. Ah— My clothes are all tattered too."

"Aren't you going to change shape?" Allen asked curiously.

"My, how cheeky!" She chuckled wryly, looking a little annoyed. "I hate becoming ugly. I like this appearance much better."

But her face transformed into its Akuma one, smiling eerily.

"But, well… In this situation… I can't complain…"

With that, her whole self morphed into its monstrous form.

"That's right." Allen agreed, pulling down his hood with his right hand, preparing for battle.

"Ugh…" From all of the noise her companions were making, her eyes fluttered open. Slowly sitting up, she felt herself wincing in pain, a headache thumping painfully in her skull.

"Damn it." Rue cursed, unsteadily getting herself up to her feet and dragging herself out of the dining room. "I was so close to disposing of Ms. Eliade too. But really, she has incredible reflexes for an ordinary woman… How suspicious."

_And what the Hell did she mean by that earlier? Us being the same? And what does she know that I don't when it comes to being close to Lavi?_

She grimaced at the mention of the Bookman apprentice in her thoughts, the unknown feeling of jealousy flaring up.

"Bastard… I'll never forgive him for this either…" She mumbled sullenly, deciding to head out to the garden to cool off a little there, not knowing that Lavi and Krory were battling at the moment.

Not until she heard Krory freaking out about something or another not too far away. Deciding to not let herself be seen temporarily, Rue found a nearby bush to investigate on what was going on.

All the Bookman apprentice could do was see that the vampire fussing about something, surprised of such a reaction.

"Damn it…! I'm running out of fuel?"

_If only I drank more of Eliade's blood…_

"Impermissible!" Krory cried out miserably, going off to a tree to mope.

"_Impermissible?" _Lavi thought, taken aback by the turn of events. _His face now is somewhat…_

"Goddamn it…!" Sure enough, Krory seemed to be backed into a corner with no way out.

"Well… Whatever!" The Bookman apprentice called out with a smile. "I don't know what your deal is, but this is my chance. No hard feelings, 'kay?"

The elemental seals kept swirling around him and it was about time he got down to business.

_Innocence, second opening: Seal!_

The giant hammer slapped one of the signs, sticking onto it.

_Fire!_

Slamming the hammer down, the seal of Fire was quite big on the ground, covering up a good chunk of space in the garden.

"Embers of the Apocalypse! FIRE SEAL!"

A fire pillar just consumed the tree; then, took Krory with it. Said-pillar was actually the fire serpent.

"Uah… Aah! Uwaaaaa!" And there goes the "vampire," screaming bloody murder.

And there goes another hole in the castle because of the fire snake.

As the explosion occurred right behind him, Lavi was on his hammer's handle and muttered to himself, "Hmph. Don't worry. I kept my flame reasonably low."

"That's the third time tonight, making another hole in the castle. I'm surprised it's still standing with all of the rough housing we've been doing around here."

Startled, Lavi turned to find Rue, who came out of hiding.

"When did you arrive?" He yelped, though feeling relieved that it was her. "And don't ever do that again, you almost gave me a heart attack!"

"I only arrived here a moment ago." She replied nonchalantly. "And I'm sorry if I did that. I didn't want to appear in front of the 'vampire,' especially in this condition."

Now that she had pointed that out, his one eye widened as he saw she had blood all over her. The injuries didn't look so serious, but he felt most alarmed when seeing a streak of blood sliding down her face, coming from her scalp. She must've taken quite a hit there.

"Are you all right?" He flew to her on the hammer, stopping right in front of her, worried.

"This is nothing." Oh, she had to be joking.

"Don't tell me it's nothing when blood's coming out of your head!"

"Really," Rue insisted at once, her face serious as ever. "It's nothing at all."

"You…" Grabbing her wrist, Lavi led her to sit right behind him on the hammer. "Come on, we better get going. Who knows what happened to Krorykins; then, we got Allen to worry about too."

"Right." She nodded in agreement, her hands barely touching his shoulders in order to support her balance as the two flew into the dark night sky to go inside.

"You can wrap your arms around my shoulders or waist, you know, I don't mind. Or you can rest your head on me if you want." Lavi's voice was light and teasing, though he still felt a bit concerned for her.

Still remembering she was angry at him, Rue answered a little too sharply, "I think I'm all right just like this."

And Lavi had to wince at that.

_Harsh._

At the same time Krory was sent flying into the windows, another explosion from the other side of the main room erupted, revealing Allen fighting Eliade the Akuma.

"Ugh… You…" Eliade hissed, irritated that her prey was still alive and kicking. But, she stopped her incoming attack once she saw an unconscious body on the rubble cluttered floor.

_Arystar!_

With haste, she decided to transform herself back to her human self.

_Change!_

Without giving a thought on how high up she was, Eliade plunged to the ground, leaving a confused Allen behind.

But since he was fighting with her in midair, it didn't take him long to realize that he was going to fall. But, luckily for him, a hand grabbed him from the back of his cloak.

"Gotcha~ Hey Allen!" Lavi greeted with a grin, still floating on his hammer with Rue on it.

"Nice to see you again, Allen. Good, you're still in one piece." Rue greeted quietly.

"Lavi! Rue!" The younger boy shouted, relieved that the two of them were still alive. "What? You look fine."

"Huh?" Lavi noticed something about Allen. "Your left eye healed? It's open, isn't it?"

Seeing that the tomboy had averted a very hard gaze to down below, the Bookman apprentice followed and saw Eliade trying to get Krory to wake up.

"Hey, Allen, that woman…!"

* * *

Hitomi: *sighs* Finally, finally done. Now then, time to reveal another surprise for the anniversary. You got a Valentine one-shot, Imperfect Valentine. And you got this chapter update.

BUT, there's one last thing I wanna say~

Unravel has its OWN website! Yes, that's right! You can go look in my fanfic profile for it or I can type it here: assassinexorcist . yolasite . com (without the spaces). I thought I should build a place where Unravel fans can gather and talk about Unravel (and other things). That's also why there's a forum section on the site too! Took me a while to put the content in and what not, but it's finally up~

^^ Now, you know how much I love you guys, especially when I'm doing this much stuff for you because you guys gave me so much feedback and support! I thank you all from the bottom my heart!


	33. Blooming Feelings

Hitomi: *yawns* Well, I'm back in the Philippines and tired. I've a feeling jetlag will kick in one of these days since it took me two weeks to recover from it when I came to New York. School's coming around the corner, so you'll know why if you see lack of updates in the future.

Anyway, I thank you all for the support and feedback as always. It's very much appreciated and I really do thank you guys for the bottom of my heart. To be honest, recently, I've doubted myself and my writing because of my inferiority complex kicking in when it comes to certain people. But because of some encouragement, and reading your reviews all the while, it's gotten me to think that if you guys like/love this work so much review it; then, that's all I need to believe in myself more. For that too, I thank you a lot.

And wow, my birthday (June 17th) already? Very hard to believe too, hehe~

Broken Glass Dolls – Wow, you changed your penname too! I love it~ It took a while, but I did submit the last chapter to be updated on its one year anniversary. The website took a bit of time too, but I was more than glad to make it. Finally, Rue is starting to see her jealousy is slowly taking over, even though she doesn't know the feeling is called such. Heh, I wonder too! Both of them are so slow, but Rue's just… *shakes her head* It'll take her just a bit more… XD Though I still wonder what'll happen if she asks General Tiedoll about such an emotion like love. Yeah, she's still mad at him for the whole Eliade thing, so I hope they do make up soon. XD Well, I DID feel bad for putting the chapter off for so long (and even this one too! *SHOT*), so I thought I'd give you guys the chapter and other stuff to make up for it. Awww, thank you! Love you too~ (=P yeah, no homo, hehe).

Fairy Skull – Thank you very much! Look forward to it, then!

Soulless Ghosty – ^^ You're very welcome~ And I did tell you via PM. This, I wonder myself a lot. Rue's a straightforward person in both actions and words. Yet, when it comes to something like love, she's baffled, confused, and inexperienced, constantly wondering on what to do about it. No doubt she loves Lavi, but it's hard to tell what she'll do once she realizes it. And again, you're welcome!

Midnight Hikari: XDDD Now that I think about it, the whole Allen/Eliade is like a Pokemon incident, isn't it? LAWL, now you just gave me an omake idea I need to write one of these days now! *coughs* Yes, Rue is in denial. *dodges a dagger* And poor Lavi, I wonder what punishment he'll receive from Rue, now that he had angered her this way. But yeah, you'd think that Eliade wouldn't help her realize it, but she did. When writing that scene, I wanted those two to have a mutual understanding, even though Rue doesn't quite comprehend what Eliade's trying to say. Glad you lover her character~

Random-Crap-to-the-Rescue – Thank you very much! Don't worry, you'll get it~

Heartbringer – Well, I couldn't write any fluff between them, given how Rue's mad at Lavi because of jealousy. Though, at least, Lavi's concerned about her injuries. It was quite a hit, actually, especially with what Eliade's wearing on her feet. Man, that's gotta hurt. Hehe, no worries, I think he will. I'll try to update faster, though real life is kicking my butt at the moment. And I will read your story when I have time.

ViLollipop – I mean, finally! Even though she's gonna deny it, there's no doubt she's jealous! As for jealousy unlocking new power in her Innocence… Well, it MIGHT. Or, on the other hand, could unlock a stronger form of one of the elements she's already obtained. Yes, it's obvious, but they won't find out about it sooner or later (;D though it really makes me question who's going to realize their feelings first). XD Whether they make up from this or not, you don't mind either way, huh?

Vampiric Melancholies – Well, I guess you can say you're jealous as people have no control of such emotions. But, you can't go on hating a character just because Lavi's your favorite character. XD Or, otherwise, it'll be hard for you to relate to her or like her. Thank you, I will continue to write this~

Now then~ The end of this arc!

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

* * *

**Unravel**

**XXXIII**

**Blooming Feelings**

[_And so, the heart has been free from its icy cage…_]

* * *

Recalling on how she had met the "vampire," Eliade kept the unconscious Krory close to her, waiting for him to wake up. Being alert with the feeling of change in the air, Lavi went down to the ground and got off the hammer, letting go of Allen's hood. Simultaneously, Rue gingerly got off Lavi's hammer too, struggling to keep her balance as fatigue shot through her body. All was deadly quiet, the three Exorcists anticipating on what would happen next.

"Master Arystar." Eliade crooned with a soft smile once Krory came to. However, it wasn't her that only greeted him. The soul of the Akuma could be seen too and it horrified him.

"E… Eliade." He stammered, his eyes wide. "What is this…?"

"Eh?" Confused, she didn't get it.

"Y… Your… That thing coming out of your body…"

This caught the Exorcists' attention. Sure enough, Lavi and Rue could see the Akuma's soul. With eye wide, Lavi was quite shocked on what he was seeing. Rue tensed, her expression unreadable. For Allen, this was an unexpected development.

"What is it…?" Krory asked again, pointing to the Akuma soul to get Eliade's attention. It finally occurred to her what he had been talking about all along.

"Called back from the Underworld, the bound 'soul of the Akuma' that is the weapon energy source…" Lavi recalled from his recordings, but still looking appalled, in disbelief on what he was seeing. "…Right? Is that it, Allen? Whoa… Why… Can I see it too…? Is it because of that left eye of yours?"

Recalling Mana's words, Allen thought with shock, _Has Mana's curse grown stronger? Can my left eye show the souls of Akuma to other people now? _Aghast at such a notion, Allen consciously covered his cursed eye with his left hand.

Quiet, Rue couldn't express her thoughts on what was going on. However, her thoughts must've been pushed towards a dark direction that she hadn't thought she had, aside from her past…

_The atmosphere is very familiar, all of a sudden. _She clenched her fists, glaring hard at the ground. _Why? I've never met Akuma other than the time when I was thirteen, when I suddenly got my Innocence and had been brought to the Black Order by Lavi and Kanda… Right? So, why…_

"Krorykins! That girl is an Akuma!" Lavi shouted out to him. "I told you 'bout it earlier! She's your enemy as well as ours!"

_Akuma? _Krory thought, unsure of what to believe.

"Eliade…? What… Are you?"

"So, you know…" Eliade murmured, her facial expression telling that it was inevitable that this was going to get out. "I… I…"

A dark liquid dripped on Krory's gloved hand, followed by a hissing sound as it landed.

"Aah— I'll tear you to pieces!" Eliade screeched, revealing her monstrous Akuma with Krory aghast at the transformation.

She gave him a sharp kick, making him slam into a wall.

"I was going to tame you and make you serve me, but _**fine**_!" She declared, looming in front of him dangerously. "I cannot let you become an Exorcist! I'll kill you!"

"AH! SHIT! Krorykins is already tired from playing with me earlier!" Lavi shouted in horror, apparently having forgotten that he had beaten Krory up mercilessly from their earlier brawl. "If we don't help…"

Back into focus, Rue immediately stepped back as, simultaneously, the floor broke and up emerged the man eating flowers.

"WHAAAAAA! Flowers breaking through the floor?" Allen cried out, his face full of dread.

"Damn flowers—!" Lavi cursed. "Not again—!"

"They're all over the place!"

"Damn it— What's with you flowers! You can't break into Krorykins's place!"

"Not again…" Rue muttered, shaking her head as she tried to help her suffering comrades.

"Hmph. Looks like your grandfather's mementos are crying for some food." Eliade mused, observing the spectacle with satisfaction. "Should we offer them your flesh and blood?"

With tears streaking down his face, his expression unreadable, Krory began to reveal what he truly felt, "I loved you… Ever since the first time I saw you… I was charmed by you at first sight… If I was an enemy, why did you stay by my side for so long, instead of killing me?"

"I said I had a use for you, didn't I?" Eliade reminded him. "There was something I wanted to do. That's why. The truth is I've wanted to kill you all along."

"I see… You truly are an Akuma…" Licking the blood off of his gloved hand, Krory's sobbing face turned into one with the full intention to kill, his eyes hardened with resolve. "I've always wanted to kill you too!"

Meanwhile, the man eating flowers were causing chaos, much to the displeasure of the Exorcists involved in the mess.

"Gyaaa! Ouch! I can't see Krorykins! I dropped my hammer somewhere too!" Lavi yelled, struggling with the plants grabbing at him.

"What's happening over there!" Allen shouted over the noise.

"Can't tell." Rue grunted, having been caught by plants herself at some point, now being tied up by vines and lifted up in the air. To the best of her ability, she strained her ears, trying to make out other sounds. "It sure is noisy over there, though…"

The plants seemed to have ceased for the time being. And now that they did, the two male Exorcists finally got to hear something.

"They're making a lot of noise." Allen remarked.

"Fighting…?" Lavi speculated.

Without warning, a plant trapped Lavi into its mouth, much to Allen and Rue's horror. They were quite sure that the Bookman apprentice was beyond scared since they could hear his muffled yelling.

"Lavi—! Calm down and do as I say!" Allen ordered, knowing he needed to hurry up.

"What he said." Rue agreed. "Don't struggle too much or you're pretty much dead."

"Are you two crazy!" Lavi snarled, irritated at this. "I'm gonna get eaten if I calm down!"

"The first time we got attacked by the flowers, I remembered something!" Allen continued, ignoring the remark his companion gave earlier. "When I was with Master, I took care of the same type of flowers! Though they were small babies…"

"Really! Then, you can stop this one?"

"Yes. So, listen already! These flowers won't bite humans who are kind to them. So, put your heart into it and show these flowers some love and affection."

"Got it!" Lavi shouted, keeping his limbs still for they were holding up the mouth of the plants to prevent from being eaten. In desperation for his own life, he cried out, "I LOVE YOU—!"

_What…? _Having heard Allen's explanation and Lavi's shout, Rue seemed to have been frozen in place. _Love… Affection… Are they even that powerful enough to put these plants into place?_

_ What… Are they, really?_

Dodging a body slam from Eliade, Krory opened his mouth, ready to sink his teeth into her. However, he found himself about to be attacked from above by what looked like water balls. Instinctively, he quickly backed away from their assault.

Having a bubble in her mouth, Eliade spoke, "Heh heh… Sharp senses. You were right to back away. These balls are my special ability."

"Special ability?"

"Let's see if you can dodge them!"

A swarm of them heading towards his direction, Krory avoided them with ease. While doing so, he noticed one of the balls have stuck onto the man eating plants. Aghast, he saw the effect that took place.

_The flower withered!_

"Here, have some more!" Elaide cackled, launching her dangerous weapon.

Having been distracted by that display, he himself had been caught by the spheres by the arms.

"Mu! Ugh!" He could feel them entering through his body, pain following soon after. "You…"

In realization, he knew what they were now.

_Is this… Water!_

"I see…" Being launched back by the spheres, Krory made a safe landing on one of the staircase railings, which looked to be melted from Eliade's ability. "So, these balls evaporate and trap all the water from a solid body? Such idiocy! Eliade. The punishment for damaging Grandfather's flowers is severe."

"Hmph." Annoyed and having had enough, Eliade shouted back, "Even when the Innocence makes you high, you remain a narrow-minded fool! You social recluse! You don't actually give a damn about these things, do you! Placing all the blame on your grandfather for not being able to go out into the world… You're just afraid you could get hurt outside the castle! Coward! Rotting away in this castle suits you just fine!"

"Ahh…" With a serious face, having taken all of her words in regard, Krory replied sincerely, "I thought that if I was with you, I wouldn't mind spending my life that way. Eliade…"

_Even though you're an Akuma,_

"I don't want to see you like this."

_I still love you, Eliade. If I was with you…_

"I'll make you disappear without a trace." With that, he had launched himself from the staircase railing, going straight to Eliade.

"NO!"

Blasting numerous bubbles, Eliade was determined to stop him and bring him to his death. Likewise, despite being at a disadvantage with all of the spheres she was shooting out, Krory was more than determined to reach to his former lover/current enemy. Despite the injuries he bore along the way, his limbs—his body—going awry due to the water, he had struggled to get out; but it all became too much for him as his shrivelled body came out from the globes, falling fast to the ground.

_Goodbye, Arystar. _Eliade thought with bitter sweetness, transforming back to her human persona. As she slowly approached him, her musings piled up. _You know, that one thing I always wanted to try… The thing that makes a woman "the most beautiful." No matter how inferior the woman is compared to me, when they do __**that**__, they become dazzlingly beautiful. But, no matter how much I wanted to, I could never do that. Because I'm an Akuma, I kill all the men that get close to me. _

Coming closer, seeing his still face staring up at her, Eliade continued on, not knowing that she would be fooled.

_If there exists a man I cannot kill… He would be…_

With one, swift movement, still in grotesque form, Krory came into close range and bit her on the neck.

_The man who would destroy me._

"What's this…?" Eliade murmured softly, a sad smile on her face. "You can still move…?"

_How ironic._

"Even though I loved you…" Her parting words to him, all in such sweet sorrow. "A… Rystar… I just wanted to love you…"

_Be my one and only vampire forever._

Taking in her Akuma blood, Krory consumed all of it, swallowing Eliade whole. With a lone tear falling from right eye, only one word was uttered from him.

"Eliade."

Rejuvenated, his body returned to normal and what remained of Eliade's water orbs shattered into rain.

Back to the Exorcists, the boys were shouting "I love you" from the top of their lungs in order to save their lives, making the plants relax and let them go. While Rue had not uttered these words herself, her companions made up for it, the grips of the plants loosening from her too.

"I love you, I love you, I love you!" Lavi kept saying so, seeing the effect the words were taking. "Hey, are we still hurting?"

"But look! The plants aren't biting our heads off anymore! Their grip is loosening as well!" Allen noted happily, sighing in relief.

"Well, that was easy." Rue remarked quietly, stretching her limbs because of the bind she was in before.

All of a sudden, a downpour was starting.

"What's cold?" Lavi asked with a frown, looking up.

"Huh… Rain?" Allen howled incredulously. "But, this is a castle!"

"Odd occurrence, but what isn't strange? Us being Exorcists is already abnormal." Rue spoke, trying to cover herself from the wet with her red cloak.

From far away, the three could see a hunched figure on top of a closed flower. Approaching, they finally saw it was.

"Krory?" Allen asked hesitantly, sensing a very heavy vibe from their new ally.

"You stupid flower…" Krory muttered; then, spewed out insults to the plants with a harsh bark. "YOU UGLY, CRAPPY, NAUSEATING PIECE OF SHIT OF A FLOWER!"

Insulted, the flower had opened its mouth and in went the four. With a chomp, they were all ready to be consumed.

"WAAAAAH!"

"KRORYKINS, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? THE FLOWER IS PISSED NOW!"

"Here we go again…"

"SHUSH, YOU!"

All three went silent and they all saw why now. In between sobs and hiccups, Krory bawled, "I have destroyed Eliade… I… No longer have the will to live anymore…"

_He's suicidal…! _The three Exorcists thought, aghast. _And he's going to take us with him!_

"Now, kill me, flower, you dumbass!"

It seemed to be more than willing to do just that, considering the name calling it was getting.

"GYAAAA! STOP THAT, IDIOT!" Allen and Lavi shouted, pissed off about this too.

"Please, calm down!" Allen growled, grabbing Krory by both hands and shaking him. Or was it strangling him instead?

"I think you're the one who needs to do that, Allen…" Rue commented with a sigh, a hand on her forehead.

Having heard a crack, Allen looked over at Krory's body for any injuries.

"You've damaged your right arm." The boy observed, a hint of concern there.

"No, this thing…" Krory began, still torn on what he did to his lover, the tears streaming down his face once again. "If I drink an Akuma's blood again, it should be fine… Hah… Ha… I've become such a monster. …What I loved, I destroyed. I just want to die…"

Immediately, Allen understood the pain, having destroyed his own father, Mana Walker, with his own hand.

_I see. _Rue thought with a numb analysis, not liking the pain that grew in her heart. _Can love cause pain too?_

Sensing her body shifting position, Lavi looked at her from the corner of his eye, feeling an indescribable air around her. The rain that fell around all of them was giving off a sad atmosphere and Lavi could feel something within Rue. But what it was, he wasn't certain.

_What's wrong, Rue?_

Still having his hands on him, Allen pulled Krory closer, looking at him straight in the eye.

"If it's that painful, just become an Exorcist."

The two snapped out of it, their companion catching their attention with this statement. Nonetheless, Allen began to speak more.

"Exorcists destroy Akuma, you know. And you've destroyed an Akuma called 'Eliade.' And if you continue to destroy Akuma, that'll be the reason you destroyed Eliade. If you have a reason, you can live… You can continue living for your reason. Because you, too, are just another apostle of the Innocence."

Afterwards, Krory began to explain to the Exorcists that General Cross had, indeed stopped by the castle. General Cross explained that he was a friend of Krory's grandfather and, having heard of his death, he came back to give back what he had borrowed, which was the man eater's offspring. One day, the plant had bitten Krory and it had withered and died. Something took over Krory, perhaps it was possible that the plant was poisonous. Instead, all of his teeth fell out and, moments after, the fangs had taken their place; hence, being the way he is now.

"Now that I think about it, that plant must've been the Innocence you were talking about." Krory explained. "Since then, I began to attack Akuma and… I've… With Eliade…"

Trailing off, remembering the past events, he began to tear up.

"We're looking for that guy." Lavi pointed out, deciding to change the subject. "Krorykins, got any ideas?"

"Oh, I recall him saying he wanted to go to the east country, so as the grandson of his friend, he asked me to lend him money."

_HERE TOO! _Allen and Lavi thought in their minds, revolted of such a thing. Rue, being unaware of General Cross always being like that, shot a confused look to her comrades.

Suddenly standing, Krory requested, "Can you all… Wait for me in front of the castle? I just need to make some preparations."

"Sure."

Waiting outside, the two boys could see the sky lightening from its dark hue.

"Ah~ Day's about to break." Lavi yawned, stretching his arms. "It's been a rough night…"

"Yep, but we got hints to my master's whereabouts. If he borrowed that much money, he could possibly go all the way to China."

Seeing that Allen wore a sad look, perhaps of their adventure in the castle and Krory having vanquished his lover, Lavi began consolingly, "Don't make a face like that, it looks like you did something wrong. You're right, it probably wasn't the most inspiring way, but for Krorykins right now, I think what he needed most was a 'reason.' Things'll be fine eventually."

Allen nodded, understanding that what his friend said was right. There was no need to feel so glum about it since he didn't do anything wrong. Keeping that in mind made a heavy burden lift from his shoulders. But, there seemed to be something amiss…

"Hey…"

"Eh? What's up, Allen?"

"Where's Rue?"

Now that he had mentioned it, the tomboy had disappeared. Lavi should've known something was wrong when they were on their way out from the castle. With a sigh, Lavi shifted his weight, ready to go.

"I'll look for her."

"No… I think I should." Allen interjected, catching the Bookman apprentice by surprise. "When we were back in the castle while Krory was explaining about Master, I sensed something from her that was a little… Off. So, let me do this."

While the boy ran a good distance, Lavi shouted out jokingly, "Don't get lost!"

"I will not!" He shouted back with irritation, not liking on how he was being treated like a kid.

_She's been like this from the moment she had confronted Eliade. _Lavi mused with a frown. _Rue… What's on your mind right now? And moreover… Why aren't you saying anything about it?_

"Damn it." Rue sighed to herself, kicking a pebble as she went to the castle's garden and leaned against a tree. "What's this all of a sudden?"

_"You feel the urge to kill me because of that. And that tells me it's because of what you feel towards the redhead. He's close to you, isn't he?"_

_ "We really are the same. Wanting to have something that could be ours, but we can't due to the way we are."_

_ "I'm talking about wanting to be normal. To be human, to feel… To love."_

Recalling Eliade's words, she gritted her teeth in frustration, both hands clenched into fists.

"What could she have meant by that? I really don't understand." She pressed a hand to her forehead. "And whatever I'm feeling right now, is it really normal?"

"There you are, Rue! What's wrong?" Snapping out of her thoughts, she tilted her head to the side to find a concerned Allen.

"Allen…" She murmured uncertainly, not looking at him in the eye. "Can I… Talk to you?"

"Ah? Go ahead, what's on your mind?"

"Well…" Rue hesitated, looking befuddled by the second, biting her lower lip.

"Go on. You can ask me anything." He coaxed her gently, a smile on his face. "We're friends, after all."

"I guess you're right. Then…" Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, she slowly got out what had been weighing on her mind for so long. "Is there something wrong with me?"

Hearing this question had Allen in wide-eyed surprise. Suspecting she wasn't finished yet, he kept silent.

"I… I've known Lavi for a long time. Long enough to know he has certain quirks in his personality. Normally, I'm fine with it, but…" Rue frowned darkly, her eyes filled with many emotions. "But, tonight made me think a lot and made me feel troubled after confronting Ms. Eliade on my own. Every time there's always a beautiful girl with Lavi, my… My confidence seems to waver and I feel something like anger, only that's not quite it. Well, I always knew he was that kind of guy, being so boisterous when there are women around, but… I feel something painful somewhere inside when seeing it. It's so confusing and so frustrating too, being unable to understand it. Most of all, I feel that Lavi will be somewhere far away one day because of being surrounded by women. "

Uneasily, she turned away from Allen abruptly, gazing up at the sky.

"I don't know why, but…" She drew a breath, finishing with a shaky whisper. "It hurts."

It was then from what she was saying that Allen understood. His expression softened, he asked gently, "Isn't that… Jealousy? Are you… Jealous, Rue?"

Rue didn't affirm or deny his statement; she kept quiet, turning her uncertain gaze back to him. With a warm smile, Allen offered his hand to help her stand up. Taking it, she hoisted up, never keeping her eyes off of the boy.

"It's all right." He said softly, leaving a hand on top of her head. "It's all right… To feel that way, Rue."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, it's normal to feel something like that, but that's okay. Because it shows how much you care about Lavi."

Hearing footsteps, Lavi got up from leaning against the wall and saw Allen and Rue approaching at his direction.

"So, you finally managed to find her without getting lost. I'm impressed! I was wondering what was taking you so long, just when I was about to go look for you too!" Lavi noted with a laugh, earning him a glare from Allen.

"I told you that I wouldn't get lost!" Allen fumed, exasperated. "It just so happens that the reason why I took longer than I should was because Rue wanted to talk to me about something!"

"Oh?" He turned to Rue, who looked conscious from his glance.

"Yes…" Rue murmured, deliberately wrapping her red cloak close to her face, already aware that she was blushing.

"Hmmm…" Still giving her a calculating look, he noticed that she still hadn't bandaged her injuries. Walking to her and suddenly grabbing her wrist, Lavi called over his shoulder to the other Exorcist as he walked away, "Allen, I'll be borrowing Rue for a moment!"

"Ummm… All right." This was all the younger male could say, taken aback on what just happened.

"W-What…!" The younger girl was surprised by the sudden turn of events, trying to keep up with her comrade's long strides. "What's this all of a sudden?"

"It's because you haven't tended to your wounds yet, so I'm going to do it for you! Sheesh, you're so forgetful!"

"I am not. Take that back and let go of me, I can walk on my own just fine."

"Not until I make sure your wounds are covered! And you really need to know what's fine and what isn't when it comes to such things, you!"

Allen watched the scene, chuckling as he shook his head.

Not too far from the castle, it was then that Lavi chose to stop and settle down, making Rue stop to a halt.

"Sit." He ordered her, giving her a stern look. "And take off your coat too."

She obliged, doing what he had commanded. Following suit, once he sat, his hands opened Rue's pouch and took out what he needed: bandages, cotton balls, rubbing alcohol, the essentials needed to disinfect and protect injuries.

Putting a good amount of rubbing alcohol on the cotton, Lavi gently rubbed the soft material on her left knee, which Rue scraped while fighting Eliade on her own, all the while fussing over her, "You really are reckless… What were you thinking, battling Eliade all alone when there was a very good chance she was—confirmed that she really is—an Akuma? Not only that, but you took a lot of hits when it came to those plants…"

"It really isn't anything to me, though." She replied nonchalantly, trying not to wince when the alcohol hit her open wounds. "I've gotten a lot worse."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you have make me worry about you constantly when you do that!" Bandaging her knee, he took another cotton ball and put the disinfectant on there, wiping both of her arms. "Seriously, you were going to give me a heart attack again, especially when you decide to go fight Eliade all alone."

"I see…" The feelings inside her were calming down a little, but the uncertainty still remained: was she really jealous? "Sorry for making you worry, then."

"As long as you come out alive, I'm all right. Just don't put yourself in danger, okay?" Wrapping her arms with clean bandages, he spotted a long cut on her right leg and was ready to heal that. "Such a shame Eliade was an Akuma… She was pretty cute."

This was meant to lighten the mood, but the feelings Rue had inside her were into a furious boil by that. A harsh sigh escaping from her, feeling like she couldn't hold it in anymore, she glared at Lavi and said, "Does she really mean that much to you!"

This was unexpected, coming from Rue. Surprised, he looked up to face her, meeting her withering glower.

"Eh? Rue—"

"You're so unfair, Lavi! You are really, really unfair!"

"Rue, what's this all of a—"

"I've already accepted the fact that you're a womanizer and there's nothing wrong with that. But, you have to know that there needs to be a certain line drawn when you're flirting with other females!" Each word being said took a lot of effort to say, but if she was going to be honest with this as much as possible, so be it. "You should know that when you're doing that, there will be consequences!"

"What are you talking about—"

"I'm saying that when you mingle with other women… You should keep in mind that there may be one who wants you all to herself!"

The whole tirade stunned Lavi speechless. He could only look at her, unsure of what to say or do. When he tried to open his mouth to say his opinion, no sound would come out. He watched her, waiting on what she would say next.

Rue was panting heavily, taken aback of her sudden vent and the fact she was saying something like this so honestly, all because of the jealousy that took over her. By now, she felt her face flush from embarrassment and anger.

"Heh…"

Confused by this, he kept his eye on her, seeing that one hand clenched into a fist.

"It's not like me to say such things… Not like me at all… And it's because it's really selfish for me to say that." She muttered with a bitter chuckle, unable to look at him in the eye now because of being self-conscious. "But, it's just that… Whenever you're doing something like that… I feel so inferior. They're beautiful, they're ladylike, and they're older than me too… There's no denying that even Lenalee, despite being the only other female younger than you, is a beautiful, courteous girl… It makes me wonder if I…"

…_If I count as a female to you at all. _Since she couldn't finish it out loud, she decided to say so in her thoughts.

Sighing, she got up slowly, turning her back to him. Taking back her healing items and putting them into her pouch, she had one last thing to say.

"It's nothing… Forget I said anything, Lavi." Shaking her head, Rue walked away, leaving Lavi alone.

_Was that… What was bothering her so much? _Lavi thought slowly, watching her from a distance. _All of those feelings she kept inside until she laid it out for me… Was that what it was?_

_I did that? She was like this… Because of me? _

Groaning, he kicked himself for making his comrade like that, running after her when she was far away.

_What an idiot I must be now. Making her feel so insecure and hurt like that… What should I do to make it up to her?_

By the time Lavi came back, Rue was already with Allen at the castle entrance. Though he was still a distance away, he could hear them conversing.

"I shouldn't have said anything like that." Rue's voice sounded rushed, embarrassed, and ashamed. Her shoulders were slumped, a sign of defeat, and her hands balled into fists. "I shouldn't have said anything like that at all, it was very selfish of me."

"It couldn't be helped." Allen chided gently, patting her head. "You needed to get it out one way or the other."

"That doesn't justify anything… Maybe it would've been best if I kept my feelings to myself. But I don't know if I would be able to hold it in anymore… The jealousy of women around Lavi is so strong, I can't help myself now!"

Lavi immediately stayed rooted to the spot, unable to walk anymore. Was that his imagination, what he just heard just now?

Rue, Rue Marucut, being jealous?

"And the thing is I don't understand why I'm jealous, anyway! Seriously, if there was one feeling I want to be rid of right now, it's this. I don't… I don't want to feel like this anymore! If only I could go back to the way I was before, maybe—"

At this, he couldn't take it anymore. Without a second thought, Lavi ran over there without stopping. To their surprise, with arms wide open, he took Rue into his embrace. One arm was around her waist, the other hand gently cradling her head to his chest.

Before Rue could do or say anything, the first thing she heard from the older boy was, "I'm sorry."

Allen was wide-eyed, watching the scene unfold in front of him. Lavi's expression looked serious and pained when saying his apology to Rue. But there was also a touch of gentleness there, something that Allen hadn't seen in Lavi before.

"I'm sorry, Rue." He kept her close, resting a cheek on top of her head. "I'm sorry for making you feel so much pain."

"…You're still unfair, you know…" Though muffled, those words could be heard clearly. While saying this, she was squeezing the back of his coat with both hands. "Making me feel this way without knowing why, you're still…"

"I know…" He chuckled softly, petting her head. "I know you're unwilling to forgive me now, but… Would you let me make it up to you?"

"I…"

Just when she was going to give him a proper reply, the castle behind them exploded. The three Exorcists turned around, not expecting this. The whole castle was set on fire.

"The castle…!" Lavi choked out, wide eyed in horror. Rue looked up in surprise, taking in the flames.

"_Can you all… Wait for me in front of the castle?"_

Recalling Krory's words, Allen could only say, "No…"

From the inferno came out none other than Krory himself, having all three of them staring at him in speechless disbelief.

"Haha… What's with that face?" Krory asked with a smile.

_Eliade, I will continue to destroy Akuma._

"Did you think I died?"

_If I don't; then, what exactly…_

"Everything's all right."

_Did I destroy you for?

* * *

_

Hitomi: Wow~ I am officially done! And that ends the Krory arc too! Just in time since school does start this upcoming Monday. DX Which I don't know whether to look forward to or not!

This chapter proved a little difficult to write, especially when Rue's so new with feeling jealousy and she still doesn't understand why. To think Eliade and Allen made her realize it too… Right now, from what it looks like, she'll be the one to realize her feelings for Lavi first. As for Lavi feeling the same way towards Rue, it may take a little more time. It was good to incorporate some Krory x Eliade too, despite the inevitable end for them.

Originally, I was planning to end this differently instead of the manga ending of the Krory arc , but… XD Well, I felt like I would be adding something unnecessary, so I might as well write it for the next chapter.

And since nobody is joining the forums on the website… I'll be making a forum for Unravel here on fanfiction . net; that way, it'll be easier for you guys to check on it.

All right, remember what I said if there'll be lack of updates because you'll know why! Be seeing you next chapter!


	34. Crossroads

Hitomi: Well, school has been officially in session recently, so I'm pretty much in over a loop. Have been sick for a little over a week (yeah, over the weekend before school started on June 21st), but I'm a lot better not compared to before. At least I can write my fanfics as writing helps me unwind a lot.

XD Though I am quite shocked the recent chapter's gotten a lot more reviews than any other. Seriously, this is the most I've had so far! T_T As always, thank you all so much for the feedback and support, it's really more than enough to keep me going with this! Cheered me up a lot too, considering there had been some recent things that have been making me feel so tired, so I also thank you for that.

Random-Crap-to-the-Rescue – XD Never thought I'd see you review first! Shocking that she even admits such a thing, right? For me, I wasn't too sure how Rue would react when it comes to that, but since it's bothered her so much, it was about time she said something. ;D Oh no, you are making sense on your comment since the chapter's been pretty much fluffy. I guess I had to make up for the lack of fluff in Chapter 32. Yes, Daisya does die soon, so I'm pretty much near that point in the story. I know it'll be difficult to write, though, since Daisya and Rue are close. So, let's see how she'll react… Will try to update soon (and often) since school's recently started for me, but lucky for you to have summer vacation at this moment! Have fun~

Fairy Skull - ;D We all know Tyki will pop in (how odd that he'll be popping in a lot of places for this story: the train when Allen and Lavi recruited Krory; then, the Suman incident in China; and then, let's not forget when Daisya dies…) sooner or later, so might as well look forward to that too! Though I'm not particularly keen on Daisya's death scene…

Broken Glass Dolls – XD You'd think that, being a Bookman, he would be smart when it comes to emotions too, but… Hey, might as well have him be oblivious in some stuff. Especially when trying to see through Rue is a rather particular task that he needs to tread carefully on since she's pretty much unpredictable. Yep, Krory's officially in now! Well, I already know how to plan this portion in the meantime… As for how Lavi will make this up to Rue… Hmmm, I guess we'll just have to see!

Midnight Hikari – Damn right she snapped! And reasonably so! Yep, poor Lavi officially got chewed out by Rue for that one. Yeah, the Krory x Eliade canon in the manga really made me sad. I always wanted to write an Allen and Rue scene since they're pretty much the same age (not sure who's older) and Rue sees him as a brother too. So, it's good she went to him for something like this. XD NOW, IF ONLY HE WOULD DO THAT TO LENALEE! *is an Allen x Lenalee supporter* Glad to be back~ And yeah, heard of DGrayDivinity, so I'll check it out soon!

Kebin-niichan – And another arc done. Oh no, oniichan, when Krory is playing poker on the train going to China (not go to Black Order HQ), that was also in the manga too! Hehe, one of my favorite scenes in DGM. Jealousy is her intense emotion, isn't it? But nah, I don't think she'll meet Anita at all or see Miranda just yet. I think I'll write those as side stories since I already know where I'm going with this story. As usual, your feedback on my writing is appreciated, so I really have to keep that in mind. Sorry for the thought mix up since, you're right, there were five people in the scene at the time. Man, when I have more free time, I should go back to every damn chapter and edit, edit, edit!

Soulless Ghosty – ;D Seems that a lot have been speaking out on the development in the recent chapter, so I'm glad that it showed since I was nervous it wouldn't turn out well. XD I bet you Allen so didn't see that coming either!

Heartbringer – Yep~ Glad that I made an accomplishment out of the development (seems that a lot of people like the chapter because of that too). No worries~ I did promise I would finish Unravel, right? So, I might as well have something happen between these two soon, but I wanna take my time on it as well. Can't rush on love, right?

Gray Note – ^^ Nice to meet you! I'm glad that you've decided to give feedback on my story. *nods* I shall review as soon as I can on your fanfics since I've been eyeing your work for quite some time. But, that's only when I'm not so hectic with school! As said before, I'll say this again: I hope we can be good friends!

Momokobo – ^^ Thank you very much! As said, I got nervous when writing that scene for fear it would be out of character (on Rue's part, mostly, as she's a hard character to portray), so I'm glad it didn't end up awry, after all.

All right, let's get down to business!

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

* * *

**Unravel**

**XXXIV**

**Crossroads **

[_Many are going on their own journeys._

_Each of them has their own personal agendas._

_But, who knows…_

_Maybe they're all connected in some way._]

* * *

It had been a few days since going their separate ways. Allen and Lavi, with Krory in tow, were on their way to China to meet up with Lenalee and Bookman. For Rue, however, she had other plans in mind.

Boarding another train alone, with Deja for company once more, she recapped on what had happened those days ago.

"Mm, well, it was to be expected. I also understand why he was like that since I'm anxious about General Tiedoll too." Rue muttered to herself, helping herself to some food on the train as she bit down on a sandwich. "Then again, he shouldn't have been so fussy about it…"

oOo

_While waiting at the train station for the train, and Lavi needing to talk to Komui about Allen's eye, Deja wouldn't stop flying about frantically._

_ "Hm?" Grabbing the golem, Rue opened her hands to see the creature bouncing onto her palms. "A message, Deja?"_

_ She/It nodded._

_ "All right, patch me through." A click and a beep came out from the gray sphere. Only silence greeted her. "Yes? Marucut speaking."_

_ "Where are you, shorty?" Kanda hissed out instantly, seething. "You took a walk into the night and pretty much hadn't contact us on your whereabouts when you were done! What have you been doing all of this time, anyway?"_

_ "For your information," she retorted back sharply. "I was going to go back to you guys when I'd cool down, but I had been held by something."_

_ "And what would that be?"_

_ "Somehow, during my walk, I had bumped into Allen and Lavi. Then, we got into a side quest that had something to do with General Cross. And also, we got a new accommodator. So, don't think I'm making this up."_

_ Still talking to Komui, Lavi had decided for a quick moment to turn towards Rue's direction and shouted loudly for the grumpy Exorcist to hear, "Hi, Yuu!"_

_ "Shut up, stupid rabbit!" Kanda barked out loud, not in the mood to deal with him. "Anyway, you should get over here pronto!"_

_ "Yes, yes…" Rue sighed, rubbing her temples. "Will do."_

_ "Don't sound so down!" Daisya's voice piped in next, probably speaking to her since she must've sounded depressed. "Kanda's just being grumpy as usual. Don't let him get to you, okay?"_

_ "I'm only just telling her the truth that she's wasting our time. Don't get so protective of her all of a sudden." Kanda remarked bluntly._

_ "Well, you don't need to be such an ass about it." Daisya shot back. "Anyway, Rue, just take your time to get here as soon as possible since I know it'll be a long travel."_

_ "What?" Clearly, Kanda wasn't going with it. "She needs to get here as fast as possible since we need to look for General Tiedoll. What if he gets attacked by the Noah?"_

_ "General Tiedoll will be fine, Kanda." Marie voiced out soothingly. "After all, he is a General of the Black Order."_

_ "Yeah, man!" Daisya agreed. "The old man can take care of himself. And besides, travel can't go any faster than it is by train and boat. So, just wait for Rue a little longer before we start looking, okay? Don't forget she's a part of this unit too."_

_ "No way." Kanda deadpanned, serious. "I will not waste my time waiting here any longer for the shorty to—"_

_ "Kanda Yuu, enough already." Having been silent all of this time, it was about time Rue decided to speak again, cutting in coldly. "I'll get over there as soon as I can and will contact you when I arrive. But, would you please stop acting like this is my fault? Granted, fine, I should have never taken so long with Allen and Lavi, but please. Stop it. This was something I couldn't control and you need to accept that."_

_ Without even bothering to hear Kanda's reply, Rue disconnected the call._

_ Feeling a hand tousle her hair, her eyes flicked to look behind her, meeting Allen's smiling face._

_ "Kanda giving you a hard time again?"_

_ "Yeah," she sighed, continuing on massaging her temples. "As always."_

_ "I don't know how you do it! Especially when you're on his team and all!"_

_ "Well, it's just easy to bear with it. Believe me, I do have my moments of shutting him up, though."_

_ "I think I can imagine it." Allen laughed nervously at the thought._

_ A loud noise roared through the air, interrupting their chatter. Hearing metal clashing against each other, a shrill screech followed soon after, indicating a stop of motion. Turning around, they both saw that it was the train that made its stop._

_ "Ah, that's the train!" Tousling Rue's hair one last time, Allen made a mad dash for the door. "Later, Rue! I know you won't be coming with us since you need to look for General Tiedoll, so we'll meet again!"_

_ "I know." She said quietly, giving a small wave. "Have a safe trip, Allen. You too, Krory." She saw the vampire-like Exorcist off, upon catching a glimpse of him following after the British boy._

_ "Yes. The same goes to you, Rue." He replied politely with a slight smile, going into the compartment._

_ "Lavi! The train is leaving!" She could hear Allen calling the other Exorcist in the distance. _

_ "Crap! Later, Komui!" Disconnecting the call from his golem, Lavi hightailed to the train. However, he stopped to a trot once he found Rue standing there, facing him, ready to see him off._

_ "So, you'll be going too. Well, I already knew that, but…" Shifting her feet, with hands in her coat pockets, Rue looked at him straight in the eye. "We still… Need to catch up. I really wanted to know what you've been doing in Ireland for the past year."_

_ "Yeah," he nodded in agreement. "We'll catch up when we have to, okay? Right now, it's an emergency in Black Order HQ, you know this as well as I do."_

_ "I know, I just wanted to make that clear. I hope you…"_

_ Lifting her cloak to her face, her gaze unwavering, she looked bashful._

_ "I hope… You stay safe."_

_ Without saying anything, Lavi placed a hand on her head, smiling._

_ "What are you worried about? I'm not going to die, right?"_

_ "…Right…" Holding up her right arm, her hand placed itself on her head, squeezing his hand. "Lavi… Will be safe."_

_ "Yes. You stay safe too, okay, kid?" Grabbing her shoulders, he leaned in to whisper in her ear, "And remember, I will make up for it. And you already know what I'm talking about."_

_ Pulling away, Lavi hurried off to go inside the departing train, leaving Rue dazed. _

oOo_  
_

"Next stop is France. I repeat, next stop is France." Looking out from the window, Rue saw that she arrived at her destination. Amongst the many people waiting around at the platform, she spotted who she was looking for: an impatient Kanda, a cheerful Daisya, and a calm Marie.

Getting off the train, she made quick strides to her companions, who turned at her approach.

"Oy, you!" Grabbing her neck with one arm and using his other hand (now a fist) to give Rue a solid rub on the head, Daisya clamoured with a grin. "Looks like you made it safe."

"Welcome back, Rue." Marie remarked with a slight smile.

"Che, about time, shorty." Kanda growled impatiently, shaking his head at her. "And you know I'm still mad at you for hanging up on me like that, right? Now, are we going to move or are you going to be an idiot with Daisya over there?"

"Moody as ever, aren't we, Yuuri." Rue muttered under her breath, which caused him to glare daggers for the comment while Daisya cracked up.

"Shall we get going?" Marie suggested with the faint smile still there, keeping himself composed from his teammates' usual bickering.

oOo

On another train heading east, Lenalee's eyes fluttered open, containing surprise and fear. Rubbing her eyes sleepily, she tried hard not to recall the nightmare she had dreamt when she was napping: a clear night sky with the Black Order in ruins and everyone dead.

"Lady Lena." Bookman greeted her, seeing that she had woken up. "I've received word from the youngsters. We'll get off at this station and wait for them."

She made no response, though she gave a slight nod in reply, a sign that told him that she just listened to what he'd just reported.

"What happened?" He asked calmly, seeing her shaken condition. "You're awfully pale."

"It's nothing…" Lenalee murmured softly, looking out the window, pushing her fears at the back of her mind.

Bookman only nodded, deciding not to delve into the matter anymore. However, he had one other matter on his mind that he had been wary of.

_Marucut was with them… Lavi, you better not have forgotten your duties._

oOo_  
_

Yet in another train going in the same direction, the male Exorcists were making it through safely. However, Krory had gotten depressed again since the villagers didn't believe him (or Allen, Lavi, and Rue, for that matter) about him eating Akuma instead of eating real humans. They had labelled all of them monsters and banished them to never come back to the village. Since this was Krory's first step into the outside world, Allen and Lavi had suggested for him to explore the train to keep his mind off of it.

However…

"Krorykins, heeeeey!" Lavi called out his name, looking around the train. "How do you spend three hours wandering on this small train?"

"Ahah, could it be that he got lost…?" Allen asked thoughtfully, shocked about the whole thing. "Hey, Lavi…"

"Yeah?"

"What's your relationship with Rue, anyway?" There was a curious look on his face. "Not to be nosy or anything, but… Seriously. The way you are when you're with her… It's like she brings out something in you that not a lot see."

Now that he had actually pointed that out, the atmosphere was combined with awkwardness and embarrassment.

_Oh right, he saw that happened between us. _Lavi's face flushed, remembering the hug he had given her.

"Don't ask questions that have nothing to do with you, beansprout." Lavi chided gently, a grin on his face.

"It's Allen, Lavi, and don't avoid the question! Rue is a friend of mine too and I just want to know what's up with you two!"

"It's… It's complicated." He said at last, hesitant. "So, don't ask about it anymore since I'm not even sure myself."

"All right, sorry." And they left it at that.

As they kept looking around for Krory, there had been one room they hadn't checked. Opening the door to that compartment, what greeted them was a shock. Krory had tears in his eyes, being only in nothing but boxers. Accompanying were three men who were playing cards along with a child watching the game.

"Hm?" Looking up, Tyki saw that he had visitors. "Sorry. Right now, kids aren't allowed to enter in here."

Turning to Krory, he continued speaking, "Now, sir, let's have another match. What will your next wager be?"

"N-No, but…" Krory blubbered, unable to go on.

"What are you doing, Krory?" Allen hissed, appalled.

"Th-These people invited me to play something called poker…" He exclaimed, sniffling since he had colds. "And before I knew it, it turned out like this…"

_He got suckered… _Allen thought with a sigh. _It can't be helped._

"Hey, are you running away?" One of the men questioned, not amused by that.

"You've already accepted the match, haven't you?" Tyki asked while taking a smoke from his cigarette. "If you're a man, stick with it 'til the end!"

However, what shocked him was when an arm was outstretched to him, holding an Exorcist coat.

Being the owner, Allen began speaking with a smile, "All of the trimmings of the coat are made out of silver. If I bet this for all of Krory's clothes, will you have a match with me?"

"H-Hey Allen!" Lavi exclaimed, jaw dropping in shock. "What are you saying…"

Tyki smirked, not expecting this. This was going to be interesting.

"Haha, all right…"

What seemed to be an impossible feat was, in fact, a miracle. The kid that accompanied the men observed quietly, though he must've been surprised. Lavi, however, was unable to hold back his expression of being shocked again as he saw how the poker game turned out.

As for Allen, he seemed to have gotten a lot more than he bargained for. He had managed to successfully get Krory's clothes, but he also managed to get the older men stripped to their boxers this time.

"Call." He clamoured with a huge smile, as if already knowing it would turn out like this.

With the three men, now in their undergarments, back into a corner… They could only say one thing once they saw Allen's hand…

"Royal… Straight flush…"

"I win again." Allen stated, smiling all the while.

"ARGH! DAMN IT!" All three of them were frustrated at his continuous winning streak, throwing their cards and arms up in finality.

"What's going on here?" One of the men whispered, looking quite horrified. "He should only be getting shitty cards!"

"Maybe we're the ones being played…?" Tyki answered thoughtfully, embarrassed and appalled too.

The third man hissed, "We were underestimating him because he's just a kid! He's definitely not some ordinary kid!"

_He's an expert! _All three thought simultaneously, watching Allen shuffle the cards professionally.

_This is easy~ _Allen cheered in his mind, still keeping a smile on his face.

"DAMN IT, ONE MORE TIME!"

"All right."

"That Allen, he's wonderful!" Krory praised. Lavi, stunned speechless, decided to move forward to Allen and clarify what was going on.

"Hey, what's going on? Aren't you unbelievably good at this?" Lavi asked in a hushed voice. "I thought you were an unlucky boy…"

"It's because I'm cheating." Though quiet, Allen had made it clear.

"Are you serious? So, that's your true character?"

"They challenged Krory first." Putting his cards to his lips, Allen had a dark look his face, remembering certain memories… "I don't feel like losing in cards. When I was training, I perfected my skills in order to pay back Master's debts and earn money for food."

"Skills…?" Lavi gulped, in disbelief of what he was hearing.

With a sinister, feral grin on his face, Allen chuckled darkly, "When gambling, I'll win, no matter how many times I play… I won't go easy on them! They're coming at me 3 to 1 too, so it's even!"

"What kind of life did you live while you were training, anyway?" The Bookman apprentice shuddered, seeing such an unexpected side of Allen. "Allen sure is dark…"

"Call."

"WHAAAAAT?" All three men shouted in disbelief once more, unsure of how much they could take.

oOo

And before they knew it, they were at a stop.

"And here's the Kirilenko mine." The conductor announced.

As the men were on their way out with no clothes on their back, Allen held out their luggage.

"Here you go." Allen said, smiling. "I don't care as long as I got my friend's stuff back. It's hard to be naked at this time of year, isn't it?"

It must've hit a nerve on the men for they looked pissed. Tyki, however, replied with a calm statement.

"Kid… We haven't sunk low as to be pitied by you."

"So, why are you grabbing them? Allen asked with a sly smile, seeing that the men had reached for their luggage.

"Ooops."

Fully clothed, Tyki laughed, "Well, that's a relief. To tell you the truth, we're doing outside work at the mines starting today. We were gonna die!"

"Haha… Where are you from?"

"From everywhere. We're bad orphans who've become wanderers."

"Thanks." With an outstretched hand, the child had something in his closed hand, intending to give it to Allen.

"Eeze! That's your treasure!" Tyki fussed, digging into his pocket. "Wait, wait. I've something to give to him instead."

"It's okay!" Allen reassured him, not expecting this. "Don't worry about it."

As the train was ready to go to the next station, Tyki called out, "Here!"

Tossing something at Allen, Allen managed to catch it successfully. In his hand was a card deck, the Joker being the first one when facing it up.

"Please let us off with that, okay?" Tyki said as loud as he could. Allen only flashed a brief smile of thanks at him; then, withdrew his head into the train compartment as it went into the tunnel.

"He looked so well bred, but he played some nasty tricks…" One of Tyki's friends grumbled, still shocked on how Allen was so good at gambling.

Laughing, the other chortled, "Gahaha, he's a pro at cheating!"

The boy—now called Eeze—looked at his necklace as if in thought.

Patting his head, Tyki told him, "Keep that safe, Eeze. I went through a lot of trouble to get that big chunk of silver for you."

"Tyki, Eeze, we're going! Let's hurry up and introduce ourselves to the factory owner and go enjoy some dinner!"

"Okay."

The nearby public phone, much to their surprise, began to rung on its own. Perhaps knowing it was, somehow, for him, Tyki approached it and picked it up. He listened, already knowing the owner's voice. With that, he hung up and turned to his friends, looking apologetic.

"I have a call for a different job. Sorry!"

"Another secret part time job? You've been getting a lot of those lately!"

"Oh well, can't do anything about it. We'll just go on without you."

"Sorry about this."

As his friends walked away to leave him behind, Eeze shifted to look at the lone man, a warm look in his eyes.

"Tyki. Come back with more silver for me, okay…?"

His only response to that was a smile, as if to tell the boy yes. At Tyki's friends continued to make their journey, something was engraved behind the silver pendant Eeze had that would've sent a chill down any Black Order member's spine.

_**Kevin Yeegar.**_

Seeing a big, round figure looming in the tunnel's shadow, Tyki approached it, taking a drag of his cigarette. Exhaling the smoke, he asked, "Can I have dinner before I do this?"

He dropped the cigarette, done with it.

"Sure, you can." The Millennium Earl answered him with a smile.

"Good, I'm sooooo hungry."

"But make sure you're dressed properly. You won't be allowed into Mitsuboshi looking like that."

Taking off his glasses, one of his few attempts at a disguise, he could feel his metamorphosis taking place. Immediately, his light skin turned dark, his dirty clothes now a tuxedo and white gloves covering his hands.

Flashing a smirk, Tyki chuckled, "Wow… You get fat because you always eat things like that."

"I'm not fat!" The Earl declared brightly, his very wide smile still there.

"Well, as long as I can eat until I'm stuffed, I don't care if it's food fit for a pig."

Tossing a top hat, which Tyki caught, the Earl said cheerfully, "Make sure you watch your mouth too. Sir Tyki Mikk."

"Okay, okay."

Walking ahead of him, Tyki pushed back his dark, curly bangs to place under the hat, revealing stigmata.

No doubt the mark of the Noah clan.

As he placed the tall hat on his head, he faced the Millennium Earl with a calm smile, "As you wish, Millennium Count."

oOo

Still in France, with the Tiedoll unit searching for their general's whereabouts, Rue shivered when feeling a chill down her spine. At the moment, she and Daisya were waiting a fountain to meet up with Kanda and Marie, who were still searching for word of their General from passerby.

"Eh? You okay, kiddo?" Daisya asked, frowning slightly in concern. "You sound cold."

"I'm not cold, Daisya. I'm warm, actually." Rue replied quietly, clutching her cloak close to her for reassurance. "It's just that…"

"Just that what?"

"To be honest, I've been holding in a sinking feeling for a while and I can't shake it off…" She whispered with a frown of her own, one of contemplation and uncertainty. "I don't know why, but I feel like something bad may happen soon."

"Don't get paranoid on me, you." He messed up her hair, which she, over time, took a secret delight in. "It's not good for you to think those kinds of thoughts. For now, I think we should enjoy our adventure while looking for the old man. After all, it's been a while since the unit's been like this. So… Don't worry and try to enjoy it, despite the Akuma and all."

"If you say so…"

"We got a track on the General, you two." Marie, with Kanda following closely behind, came back to meet with them. "According to some people, General Tiedoll was heading to Spain."

"That far?" Rue asked quietly, getting up from the fountain rim and dusting herself off. "Looks like it's back to going there again. But, at least it sounds like it's not in Valencia this time."

"Hehe, we were there over a month ago." Daisya recalled the mission involving Rue's ex-commander. "So, it looks like we'll have to do some exploring again."

"Tch, what are we waiting for? Move it already or I'm leaving your slow asses behind." Without even bothering to wait for them, Kanda left as quickly as he came back.

"I bet you he's like that because he wants to kill off Akuma." Rue sighed, shaking her head as she followed them, with Marie and Daisya following too. "Then again, they are our enemy and we do need to protect our General."

"Or maybe it's that time of the month. You'll never know." Daisya snickered.

"If he heard that, say goodbye to your life, Daisya." Marie commented, though he couldn't help but smile amusedly at the comment.

oOo

Meanwhile, in Black Order HQ…

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Toma asked worriedly to his companions, walking up to Komui's office. "If you do this, it'll be dangerous from here on out and I know that you know that that's inevitable. Once you do this, you can't turn back until the war's over."

"I already know what I'm dealing with, Toma, I've looked at Death in the face countless times already." The younger male replied calmly, a wry smile on his face. "If I didn't know about what the situation was at hand, I wouldn't be doing this. Besides… As long as I'm with her, I've nothing to worry about."

"That's right! Even I've faced Death a lot too, as much as that's hard to believe because of my age!" A young, female voice piped in, gripping her hands into fisted determination. "We will remain here, no matter what… Because we want to stay by our sister's side too. She's been shouldering her burdens all alone without us for so long, so… We have to be there for her."

The Finder nodded in understanding, reassured that the two weren't being foolish. Knocking on the door and announcing his presence, Toma walked inside.

"Ah, Toma." Komui looked up from his paper work, a slight frown on his face. "Anything wrong?"

"No, Supervisor Komui, nothing's wrong. However… You have visitors." Beckoning with his hands, the two went into the room quietly, the office door closing shut gently.

"Hello, sir, and I'm sorry if we're disturbing you from work. But, we must get down to business." With a crisp salute and sharp eyes, the tall male stood straight, looking resolute. "My name is Jericho Marucut."

Beside him was a younger female with a determined look on her face.

"And my name is Claire Marucut."

One last thing was said after they had introduced themselves, having Komui feel taken aback:

"On behalf of our sister, Rue Marucut, we request on joining the Black Order."

* * *

Hitomi: There we go! All done~ T_T And you know, I realized that before the Cross unit enters China, that'll be when Daisya DIES. So, I'm pretty much horrified that I have to write that scene too, even though I don't want to (but, it's canon, so I can't do anything about it).

^^;;; I'm sorry if this chapter seemed to be boring to you guys again. The reason why I didn't go on with Tyki assigned to kill off some people (Daisya included) was because I want to write one more bonding time with the Tiedoll unit before that happens...

There's a reason why I named the chapter "Crossroads" and that's because everyone in this chapter is going someplace.

;D Betcha you weren't expecting that ending with Jericho and Claire, eh? Well, it was about time they got to the Black Order too.

Be seeing you next chapter~ T_T But, I'll forewarn you that, soon, you will cry.


	35. A Precious Time

Hitomi: Hey again, guys. Man, school's wearing me down by a lot and it's driving me up the wall. And I swear I'll go crazy if I don't do something other than schoolwork, so I want to write badly. Time to relax and unwind a little as I write Unravel…

Up to now, from the bottom of my heart, I sincerely thank you guys for always reading this work and giving me feedback, even though I'm not updating as much due to real life taking a toll. But, you guys are the reason why I'm still writing here, anyway, so thank you very much.

…And damn, I really do need to update Ice Flare soon before there's a riot. *SHOT* XD Seriously. I intend to update Ice Flare soon when I'm not so busy.

Random-Crap-to-the-Rescue – XD To be honest, I'm not sure how Rue's reunion with her siblings (especially when they got separated recently) is going to turn out either! I'm still trying to pick between hilarious and heart-warming… And if all else fails… To Hell with it, I'm doing BOTH! *SHOT*

Midnight Hikari – ^^ Yep, they're finally here in Black Order HQ! Well, yes~ They may be aware that they may die, but… As long as they're always there for their sister, I guess they'll gladly take that chance. T_T And deary, as much as I don't wanna kill Daisya off, I have to. It's canon. And plus, it's going to impact Rue by A LOT (no, can't say, it'll spoil it), so it's pretty much personal for her. As for when Lavi was away a year ago… I may add in the light novel canon with Finder Doug, I might. Still thinking on how that'll work since Lavi met with him at France, if I remember right. Yeah, I agree, a good way to look into Lavi's character. Yes, I know Lavi and Rue split up again, but I didn't want them to spend time together at every waking moment. I need them to do their own thing.

Momokobo – I know, I don't want Daisya to die either as he's one of my favorite characters. But… *sniff* He'll have to. At least Rue will get solace from her siblings, though, should she tell them about it.

Heartbringer – I guess the chapter must've had some twists here and there, eh? Or is it because everyone is going somewhere? XD Oh, it's always fun to tease Kanda, hehehe. Sudden appearance? I have to disagree. It was about time Jericho and Claire got to the Black Order. Even Jericho vowed to go to the Black Order to be with his sibling in Chapter 29, so that should've been obvious. XD Actually, Daisya said that, not Marie (and if Marie did, holy crap, that'd be OoC of him!). Yes, I know… *laughs* Actually, I find it funny people are saying how there's not much Lavi and Rue now that I've started writing the original DGM timeline. But, it's because I want Rue to be a well rounded character, not just a person who loves Lavi. I need her to develop more as an Exorcist and a person (this being said when it's not just Lavi who's there for her). Yeah, if Rue actually went with Allen and Lavi and suddenly met Anita… Who knows what Rue'll think. Jealousy may flare up, but I know she'll keep it under control as much as possible. Don't worry… Seems like both of them are starting to realize feelings for each other in some way or another recently, so keep hoping for that chapter for it may come soon. What I've been questioning a lot lately, though, is… Who'll realize their feelings first?

Soulless Ghosty – Yes, you! Prepare for the sob fest for it's coming soon. VERY SOON. Even I'm preparing for it as I don't look forward to writing Daisya's death and it'll be a difficult thing to write. Rue will get affected because of that so much… ^_~ Seems like it, doesn't it? Those two are slowly growing to realize their feelings for each other, though I wonder who'll see it first! *snickers* Seems like everyone's wondering that too and I'm trying to envision what would happen. If Lavi were to meet Jericho and Claire… XD Probably he'll talk to Claire about Rue in both good and bad ways (ex: saying Rue's a good kid, but she's too stubborn)… As for Jericho… Hmmm… XDDD If he becomes a second Komui, oh goodness. I'll have a Hell of a good time writing that!

Sunnyfeather – Wow, really? Congrats on your first review here and thank you so much! Welcome~ XD I'm sorry, I just get so excited when new people read my writing, so I can't help it if I'm like this! And you sound like you've been reading Unravel for a while too before deciding to review, so I truly thank you for your support! *smiles* Glad to hear from you that Rue's likeable (despite her flaws, of course) and, whew, glad you think she's not a Mary Sue either. *nods* Her past is intriguing, isn't it? I know I haven't said much on it, but I still want to develop it some more (AKA write the good things in her life, when her family was complete, before she became an assassin). Ah! *BLUSH, embarrassed* You're flattering me on my writing, wow, thank you… I know I still need to improve on it, but I'm still doing my best. And I'm sure that you could write well too, I want to see your work one of these days!

And so, the adventure continues, you guys! Let's roll!

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

* * *

**Unravel**

**XXXV**

**A Precious Time**

「_I feel that when all of us are together,_

_It's a natural feeling, something that feels fitting and permanent._

_But, why do I feel that this may be my last memory with you…?_」

* * *

As time passed by, the Tiedoll unit was already on the locomotive to go to Spain, the wheels clattering noisily on the tracks. It was such a beautiful day outside, clear blue skies and a lot of sunshine, giving off a bright atmosphere. It was a peaceful day for them, in spite of the constant danger of Akuma and never-ending anxiety for General Tiedoll's safety.

However…

"You two are going to be seeing Mugen a lot often if you don't shut your yapping!"

Ah yes, the usual normality within the Tiedoll unit, which usually consisted involving Kanda threatening Daisya, Rue or the both of them. And always, somehow, Marie has gotten used to taking the position as peacemaker when something like this would happen.

"Well, hey, it's your fault it's like this now!" Daisya laughed, hastily dodging a cuff from Kanda while, looking from the corner of his eye, Rue looked like she was going to kill someone. "If you hadn't lumped Lavi and Rue in the same sentence, this wouldn't have happened! You're the one who made Rue flustered!"

"Like I care about that!" Kanda seethed, wearing a face that clearly described revulsion. "I've said it once and I'll say it again: the stupid rabbit and the shorty are morons for being so annoying at a time like this. And you've been teasing her about it, so I'm telling you to shut up too because you started this!"

What had started this was an interrogation from Daisya to Rue of what happened in Germany with Allen and Lavi when she was out on her walk. Though Rue had been honest as much as possible about it, she seemed to have skipped out a few details (i.e. the hug Lavi gave her when he overheard her strong sentiments of jealousy). This got Daisya suspicious and, thus, teasing her about the Bookman apprentice. All the while, Kanda had been trying to sleep, so it was needless to say he was grumpy when hearing his two teammates being noisy. After remarking crudely about Lavi in order to shut them up, it made Rue angry and, thus, making the situation as it was at the moment.

With her lips curled into a snarl, Rue deadpanned, "What's so annoying about spending time with a comrade? We may be in a war, but it's not like Exorcists are as dangerous as the Akuma."

"Rue…" How surprising for Daisya to see that Rue was oblivious to what Kanda—of all people, KANDA—was implying. "Don't you get what Kanda's trying to say? And I agree with him, actually."

"What are you talking about, Daisya? Stop beating around the bush and spit it out."

"That Lavi and you are being so lovey-dovey, despite the fact we're in a big war right now?" Daisya finished the sentence with a wide grin, now needing to dodge Rue's own wallop. "What? It's what it looks like and you can't deny it!"

"Oh, for the…" Hastily turning away, the female Exorcist stomped out of the compartment, clearly embarrassed and annoyed. "I'll make it clear: for the final time, Lavi and I are only just close friends and nothing more. Don't you dare suggest otherwise and stop teasing me about it, Daisya, before I get out Deathtrap and Lifeline."

"Don't pick on her so much about it, Daisya." Marie remarked, shaking his head as he saw the youngest disciple go out to another part of the train. "And Kanda, you shouldn't have said that. Since Rue's close to Lavi, without a doubt, she would've gone to his defense."

"Awww, but you know by now that I always tease her often Marie, so don't expect me to stop now!"

"Che! If you're going to do that to the shorty because of the stupid rabbit, do it when I'm not trying to sleep before I slice you into mince meat, you idiot!"

Though far away from her group, Rue was still able to eavesdrop on the conversation. With her face and ears bright red, she walked further away, uncomfortable to talk about the issue.

"Damn it, Daisya, why'd you have to say that?" Rue fussed, slicking her hair back out of frustration. "And Kanda, leave Lavi alone!"

_It's not like that at all… I just like spending time with Lavi, especially when we had been apart for a year… And that hug was just a way to say sorry and nothing else… Lavi's my friend, a close comrade of mine, that's all._

_ …Right?_

_ No! _ She messed up her hair from agitation, clearly not liking where her mindset was going. _That meant nothing intimate! Nothing at all!_

oOo

"Awww, I said I was sorry!" Ever since that incident, Daisya had been trying to apologize to Rue when they got off the train. But she would hear nothing of it as she turned her head away. She hadn't spoken to him from that time in the train up to now. "Come on, I didn't mean it!"

"Tch, accept the fact she's ignoring you right now." Kanda commented, looking around the scenery, be it for General Tiedoll or the Akuma. "Because you know how the shorty's not the easily forgiving type."

Rue shot a glare at Kanda for the nickname, but said nothing. Instead, she turned away from him, deciding to focus on something else.

"I'm pretty sure she'll forgive him later, though. Right, Rue?" Since Marie always calmed Rue down, he already knew on his own that she wasn't the type to hold grudges.

To this, she only gave a shrug, indicating neither a yes or no. But, Marie already knew she would forgive Daisya later on. She always did.

As they entered the town, deciding to split in pairs again to find information on their general, Daisya kept thinking of ways to have Rue forgive him. After finding nothing on their lead, while looking around, Daisya spotted a vendor selling ice cream.

"Hey, Rue…"

Though she appeared to not have heard Daisya, Rue's head perked up slightly at the sound of his voice.

"Why don't we get something to eat? A little snack, maybe? I know you haven't eaten since you've met up with us in France, so don't tell me you're not hungry." At the last bit of the sentence, Daisya shot her a wary look.

Momentarily, she turned to look at him, studying him in such a way that left him so unnerved. But, the tension broke as a loud rumble changed the circumstances. Quickly, Rue averted eye contact once more for a completely different reason: she was hiding her bright red face, embarrassed at the fact that her stomach was complaining loudly of its hunger.

And Daisya couldn't help but laugh loudly about it, unable to hold back.

Seeing that Rue was glaring at him, and probably ready to snap at him for poking fun at her again, he only grinned and ruffled her hair.

"Hey, you can't deny that you're hungry now! Blame your stomach!" Still laughing and taking her hand, Daisya led her to the vendor. "Hey, mister!"

Seeing a jubilant Daisya and flustered Rue, the merchant couldn't help but smile at them.

"All right, kiddo!" He messed up her hair again, all the while smiling widely. "Pick whatever flavor you want! My treat!"

"But…" Rue bit her lip, apprehensive and guilty. "Is it okay…? For you to buy ice cream for me, I mean. I feel bad spending your money…"

"Hey, hey." He patted her head, his smile soft. "Don't feel bad about it, okay? I said I would treat you since you're hungry. Besides, this may as well make up for what I did in the train earlier."

"Well, if you insist…"

"Don't be shy." The seller said gently, beaming at Rue. "Take as much ice cream as you wish!"

It took Rue a while to make her choice as there were so many flavors. In the end, she took vanilla and strawberry while Daisya himself helped himself to chocolate. Paying the merchant, they took off on their journey again, taking their sweet time eating their snacks.

"Daisya…" Rue began, licking her ice cream while holding her cone.

"Yeah? What's up?"

"Well… You know how I ask you or Marie what emotions are like, right? In case General Tiedoll's not around to tell me?"

"Mm-hmmm." He nodded, lapping up the chocolate ice cream. "Why, something up?"

"Actually… I've been wondering for a while… About the emotions I haven't experienced yet. Not only for the sake of unlocking more powers from my Innocence, but… It's also in order for me to really know myself too. So, I want to ask about this emotion since I feel that it's an important one…"

"Go ahead, you can ask."

"What… What is happiness?"

Taking a bite of his ice cream, slightly wincing at how cold it was, the older boy gave a long look at the younger girl. It was as if he was contemplating on what to answer her. Finally, he seemed to have thought it through and decided to speak to her.

"Happiness… Is an indescribably positive feeling." He replied, smiling a little as he ate his ice cream cone. "The very rare times you would chuckle or laugh when I see it… Or when your eyes would light up in such a way that it's like they're glowing with good cheer… I guess that's how you express your happiness."

"Is that so…" Rue mumbled thoughtfully, a hand tucked under her chin for emphasis of her contemplation, all the while eating her ice cream and gazing at him with a serious face.

"There is one other way to express happiness too…" At this, he frowned, finishing the last of his dessert. "But, I've never seen you do it before."

"What… What is it?"

"It's smiling, Rue. Come to think of it, I've never seen you smile before, even though you've opened up a lot more than you used to. It really makes me wonder what makes you happy…"

The female Exorcist stayed quiet at this, looking lost in thought once more.

_That's right. I haven't smiled all of this time, have I? Even when I saw Kuya Jericho and Claire again after twelve years or reunited with Lavi after having no contact from him for a year, I hadn't smiled at those times. But… I'm positive I felt __**something**__…_

Rue began concentrating on recalling memories; from the time she had escaped Zero's clutches with Riley to the time onwards—until now—when she had begun to experience life in the Black Order as an Exorcist. There had been unforgettable memories, both good and bad, and she still remembered on how she felt confused due to a lack of understanding emotions. But while she struggled to express her sentiments, even with her honesty, there had been no denying that she'd always felt something somewhere deep down constantly.

Being with Daisya at the moment, being with the unit as they searched for General Tiedoll, how did it make her feel now?

"But, you know…"

Hearing this, Daisya turned to look at her, wondering what was up. His eyes widened at what he saw. Could it be a trick of the light or…

"Right now, looking for General Tiedoll with you, Marie, and Kanda… Somehow, it feels right, just being together like this. I think I can get used to this. I feel that… In a way, this is how I want to spend my life, despite the Akuma and all. "

No, it wasn't a trick or an illusion. For the first time ever since she came into the Black Order two years ago, Daisya Barry was seeing Rue Marucut smiling softly, even if only briefly. Her face looked gentle, her sharp gaze soft. And he couldn't help smiling himself because seeing her like that felt like she just gave him an irreplaceable treasure.

"Hey, Daisya… Promise me something."

"Shoot." He chuckled, his arms draped loosely around her shoulders. "You can ask your big brother anything… Just as long as it's something doable and legal, of course."

"When the war is over… When the time comes to live our lives peacefully… Please, stay with me." Suddenly, she looked flustered, lowering her gaze to the ground. "I mean… Being in the Black Order makes me think of family and home a lot often now, so…"

She stopped, unsure if she was able to continue on with her sentence. As if to give encouragement, he squeezed her shoulders gently.

"Of course, I'd like it if General Tiedoll, Kanda, and Marie were around too. If all of you don't have a place to go back to when the Black Order may be disbanded after all of this, I want all of us to stay together and live like a family. Even though we all have a place to return to, if there will be such a thing for us in the future… I will always think of you as my older brother and the Tiedoll unit—and the rest of the Black Order—as family. So, even if we cannot live together because of how our lives will turn out in the end, at least… Stay in contact with me and, if you want, visit me when you can."

At that moment, Daisya kept quiet, reflecting on Rue's words. The holy war was a worldwide crisis and that was something that couldn't be ignored. Day by day, lives were being lost and the Millennium Earl—alongside the Akuma and the rest of the Noah family—was slowly rising to power. Exorcists and Finders constantly died for this cause, having put their lives on the line for the sake of the greater good in order to save humanity. But, it cannot be denied that, from various degrees, the people in the Black Order had some sort of bond with one another.

So, what would happen when close comrades and loved ones died in the crossfire of the fray, despite whether they were directly involved with the war or not? Could the rest of them continue on living, despite physical and emotional boundaries being pushed to the limit constantly because of such circumstances? Would they still have the will to live? And, most importantly, should they even be affected of it in the first place because they had the rest of humanity to take care of?

Releasing Rue from his hold and messing up her hair affectionately, Daisya finally spoke with a quiet voice and a slight smile, "Yeah… When this war is over… Let's stay together and always be there for each other like family."

oOo

As the day went on, the four Exorcists were now making their way on a beach in Spain. At the moment, they were in Barcelona since they heard from other people that General Tiedoll had been heading there. So, they wasted no time on looking for their "father," leaving footprints in the sand as the ocean waves erased them.

"The scenery now looks like it can be a painting; maybe I should ask General Tiedoll to make something out of this when we find him." Rue mused quietly, awed at the sight of the beach. As it was always like this, she would also describe to Marie of their travels, being his eyes. "What a breathtaking view. Marie, the sunset in the sky now looks amazing. So many reds, blues, oranges, yellows, and purples… Then, there's the wide, blue ocean and the white sands… There are also some mountains a little far off in the distance and they look really tall…"

Marie nodded, being able to imagine the setting they were in now, patting her head as an unspoken gesture of thanks. Kanda, though scanning his surroundings, looked to be a little relaxed. Daisya seemed to be having fun, kicking up some sand as he walked, the Charity Bell tinkling merrily at the end of his cowl.

"…Huh, why haven't I asked him about that before?" Cupping her mouth with both hands, Rue called out loudly, "Daisya!"

Stopping in his tracks, he looked over his shoulder and grinned, waiting for the others to catch up.

"What's up with you, kiddo?" Once they came near him, Daisya slung an arm around Rue's neck, giving her a playful headlock.

"Well… It occurred to me I haven't asked you this when we were in that Valencia mission over a month ago. So, it might be sudden and a bit blunt for me to ask, but…" Taking a deep breath, she got to the point. "How did you become an Exorcist for the Black Order?"

Once hearing this, Kanda and Marie looked curious to hear about Daisya's past too. While it was obvious they knew Daisya longer than Rue had, his connection to the Black Order had the vaguest of details whenever it was brought up. They heard snippets of it, but never the full story.

"Hm? Do you really want to know that much?" He teased, rubbing her head with his other arm's fist.

"As a matter of fact, well, yes. You are supposed to be my older brother, right?" She joked back, disguising her chuckle as a cough – or maybe it had been genuine since it was understandable Daisya was physically stronger than her.

"Right!" Grinning widely and loosening his hold around her neck, his dark brown eyes held an unspeakable glee in them. "Well then, if you want to know that much, I pretty much joined when Kanda and Marie were already under the old man's care, so I was the last one to be recruited to the Tiedoll unit before you came along. So then, how I became an Exorcist… Well, this was when I had been pretty much an ordinary human being…"

Born and raised in Bodrum, Turkey, Daisya had a normal life with two parents and several younger siblings, him being the eldest brother of them. At that time, his parents were making a living by being merchants, owning a shop and selling to tourists who happened to be in the area. Like the way he was now, the younger Daisya didn't like boredom and, as much as he loved his family, he wanted more adventure in his life. And because his family worked as merchants, Daisya was stuck with the tasks of watching over the shop or babysitting his siblings. Since his favorite thing to do was playing soccer, it really explained why he treated the Charity Bell as a soccer ball when battling Akuma.

"Mmm, the old man was painting the scenery of the beach not too far from my place. I remember playing a prank on him that time too, hehe." He grinned broadly at the memory, remembering he had messed up General Tiedoll's artwork. "At that time, I think he was looking for new Exorcists just like he's doing right now. But, I also think he sensed Innocence in the area too. Then, Akuma attacked my hometown and I remember seeing him battle. It was… Amazing, seeing him being able to defeat all of them without breaking a sweat."

The rest of his comrades had to agree with this in a mutual silence, having already witnessed their General's power before when they were all together for missions. Rue, having an immense interest in art, would be amazed every time the fatherly Exorcist General activated his Innocence. It was truly a sight to behold.

"Once seeing the old man kicking ass like that, it got me to become an Exorcist because the thrill and the adventure of defeating Akuma was what I craved for. I told my parents and siblings that I was going to set out traveling all over the world because I didn't want to be stuck at home. Though they were sad, they understood my feelings and allowed me to go." Resting his hands at the back of his head, Daisya looked up at the colorful sky, seemingly content. "Well, that's my story."

"Hmmm, you didn't mention how you got the Charity Bell, though." Rue observed quietly.

"Ah, this thing. Heh, I guess I must've forgotten that crucial detail." Holding up the Charity Bell close to him, and it was at its normal size, Daisya laughed cheerfully. "Well, actually, it holds sentimental value to me. You know how some stores have bells at the top of their doors and, when a customer comes in, the bell rings to notify the shop owner of their presence? Well, the Charity Bell was actually a bell from my family's shop. Coincidentally, it held Innocence and that was what the old man was searching for."

"I see…" She murmured, her eyes softening a little. "So, it came from your home…"

_Then, I wonder why Deathtrap and Lifeline came to me that time… _A thought from the back of her mind voiced this out. _Why had I been chosen by the Innocence?_

_ And… My purpose in life… I haven't forgotten it at all since I'm still trying to search for it. But, so far, there hadn't been any answers for it. Maybe I'm not looking hard enough…?_

"…Hey! Earth to Rue, are you there?" Coming back to reality, Rue felt Daisya pulling on both of her cheeks, giving her an exaggerated, funny face.

And through her garbled voice, he was able to get what she was trying to say to him in this state, which was, "Daisya, please let go of my cheeks. You're pulling too hard."

"Well, it's because you got that look on your face again!" He clamored, letting her cheeks go. However, he had put her in another headlock, giving her a noogie again with his fist. "Don't be so somber, you! I keep telling you to lighten up and not to brood too much!"

"Yeah, I already know that…" She grumbled a lukewarm protest, letting out a soft sigh – not out of negativity, but of relief and relaxation. "At least you should know I'm trying, right?"

"I know that, you dork!" Another noogie to the head. "That's why I'm telling you not to frown so often!"

"Tch, don't be an idiot." Kanda commented in clipped tones. "Besides, it'll be the shorty's fault she'll look haggard later if she keeps acting the way she is now."

"And look who's talking about that." Rue shot back, giving him a hard look. "At least I'm trying to open up more unlike you, who's always looks like he's constantly angry about something. Looking like a girl while you're at it doesn't help your case either since people will think you're an old hag."

"Why you…! I'm trying to be honest and you're going to just…!"

"Hmph. As much as I appreciate the honesty, it's not helpful."

"Don't start with me, you brat!"

"That's your problem and not mine, Yuuri."

"Now, how did it come to this…?" Marie murmured confusedly, shaking his head at the sudden fight that was going in full eruption.

"Ahah, maybe we should stay out of it before more fuel's added to the fire." Daisya snickered, stepping back from the verbal brawl.

As they continued to argue (with Kanda ready to get out Mugen and Rue standing her ground), the fight had been interrupted by a sudden explosion from the sand. Backing away, the four Exorcists looked ahead to see Akuma from far ahead.

Taking the Charity Bell off of his cowl, Daisya activated his Innocence and it grew to the size of a soccer ball. Without waiting for a cue from his companions, he already sent it flying.

"Resonance!"

The sound waves had obliterated the creatures, though more kept coming. With no time to lose, a skirmish was starting to unfold, the four Exorcists already on the go.

"And here they go again, time to finish these fools off quickly." Rue sighed disdainfully, activating Deathtrap and Lifeline and already working on manipulating the sand and ocean water, combining them to be launched at the Akuma hoard.

"It's not surprising they know we're searching for General Tiedoll, after all." Marie remarked calmly, Noel Organon doing its work as its wires sliced through the Akuma.

"Less talking, more action." Kanda grunted, Mugen slicing down the Akuma effortlessly as he dodged their attacks with ease.

Taking a few hits but still running forward to go in for the kill, punching the behemoths with gritty fists, Rue commented to Daisya, whom she was back-to-back with at the moment, "Looks like you're having fun, Daisya."

"Hell yeah!" He agreed with a laugh, kicking the Charity Bell with full force as it obliterated their enemies. "This is what I signed up for to become an Exorcist! Bring it on, you bastards!"

_It's not bad… _Rue mused lightly, evading as much as she could, bearing some wounds but still fighting with all she got. _It's not bad with you guys being right by my side… _

_ I hope all of us can survive this, so we can always be together.

* * *

_

Hitomi: Voila! Chapter completed~

It took a while for me to write this, what with school stressing me out and giving me no time as well as having some sort of difficulty writing this chapter, but I'm done. It did what I had wanted writing to do: making me feel a little lighter and relaxed. Exams are coming up, so at least I'll be able to bear with it a little more easily, though I've been stressed to the extreme. As in, driving myself crazy with schoolwork to the point I feel the itch to do something other than school related stuff or else I'll drive myself crazy.

Once again, this has been a Tiedoll unit centric chapter minus their General this time. A little more bonding time for them as they continue to search for their leader, which was something I wanted to write about before the inevitable demise.

Of course, we all know who'll die once they do find General Tiedoll. *sniff* Daisya's time will be up just around the corner… And I'll tell you how the chapter will look to me once I write it: really sad, difficult, and interesting; especially, most especially, since Rue's going to be personally affected by it.

Let's see how that'll turn out…

Be seeing you next chapter, you guys!


	36. Never Look Back

Hitomi: Well… This is it. And you already know what I mean by this, right? As much as I don't want to do it, it's pretty much inevitable. All of this time, I had been trying to think on how to write this chapter and it… Had its repercussions. It had been difficult writing this chapter, already knowing that it'll impact Rue so much. Affecting her in such a way that… *trails off*

… *shakes her head softly, has an unreadable facial expression* Yeah, it's strange for me to talk like this, isn't it? Well, as an aspiring writer, I feel that characters—despite that they only exist in fiction—are real people as I write. Odd, isn't it? That's why, when writing a chapter with this kind of atmosphere, I want to leave a strong impact as people read my work. As you notice, when I continue to develop Rue, she's slowly becoming human. So, when being confronted by Death who'll soon wear the face of her comrade… What would happen from there? It leaves a lot of questions in the mind since Rue has faced Death for as long as she can remember.

Midnight Hikari – XD Oh my, so Dai-Dai's a new nickname for Daisya, eh? Well, I can't change canon, so I really have no choice but to kill him off. And you're right. *smiles a little, though it's sad* The promise Daisya made to Rue was a huge irony, considering his fate… And hey, he might as well tease her about something for one last time.

Random-Crap-to-the-Rescue – ^^;;; Oh dear, I actually made you cry? I'm sorry about that! Then again, I was going for making an impact on people, concerning this part of the story… Admittedly, though, I was feeling a bit depressed when writing Daisya's promise. Heh, I'm pretty sure I might tear up once I kill him off, so you're not alone in that one. And yeah, gonna admit one more thing: I'm a crybaby too, though I try not to be most of the time.

Soulless Ghosty – Ugh, the stress is just ready to kill me on the spot, honestly! Been barely a month since school's started and I'm already up the wall! Yikes, sounded like it was a difficult year for you too. Hehe, I'm sorta guilty for doing that (skipping assignments on purpose just to relieve the stress for a while), though it's always an every-once-in-a-while occurrence. Finally, right? Rue finally smiled because she's happy to be with the Tiedoll unit the way it is now. But yes. *sniff* Being sad will be the next thing for her to feel… Same here (especially since Daisya's been one of my favorite characters), though I don't want to rush writing this chapter since I want to leave some sort of strong impression on you guys (you are reading my work, after all, so I really want to know what you guys think!) regarding this. And again, the irony of Daisya's promise to Rue HOURS BEFORE his death was what I was aiming for. And yes… It'll be quite the blow, her going into such a shock upon realizing he made that promise before his time…

XxXTwilight-SinXxX – Ah, I'm glad you felt how bittersweet the chapter was since that's the emotion I was going for. T_T Yeah, me too, which is why I feel so reluctant writing this chapter. Daisya and Rue have always been together… They're so close (big brother-little sister relationship) that it makes me feel emotional since Daisya's time will be just about up. So, don't be surprised if I actually do tear up when I'm writing this chapter!

Kariki13 – Nothing I can do about it, though. *sighs* T_T As much as I don't want to kill Daisya off, I have to since it's happened in both the anime and the manga. And no need to bang your head on the keyboard, I don't want you to hurt yourself.

Heartbringer – Yes, the setting where Daisya dies. And this chapter will be it. Yeah, I wanted to write bonding time with the Tiedoll unit because I wanted to and it's to soften the blow of losing Daisya. Hehe, I always wanted to write a scene when Daisya treats Rue to something, especially when he has to make up for poking fun at her. I'll read your story as soon as I can (when I am not stressed with schoolwork, that is). I'm actually on DGrayDivinity, but I haven't been able to post anything at all due to real life coming at me. Actually, you're the second person who's told me about the site, so I might as well post something there soon!

Sunnyfeather – Yes, nothing's happened… Yet. T_T And I'm the one writing the chapter, so I'm pretty much going to be the one crying the most. ;D Well, I always wanted to write another family bonding session of the Tiedoll unit again, so I'm glad I did. XP Yeah, families should do that often!

EclairFarron13 – Wow! You spent a week reading my work? *shocked* And wow, thank you so much! I hope I'm not letting the characters go OOC, though! And really? *shocked again* I'm glad… I'm glad you were able to see that I'm trying to develop Rue slowly. Though she is a hard character to portray, so there are times when I'm pretty much tempted to make her OOC, but I won't do that. I've been figuring her out more often, so I'll just keep careful of the development~

It'sDarkInHere – Hey, long time no see! XD Was wondering where you've been the past few weeks since I thought you'd be reviewing any day now and here you are! I'm glad you see that I'm trying to develop Rue some more, so she really has been growing up a lot. I agree, it's nice for the Tiedoll unit (minus the General himself since he's not around at the moment) being a family, even though Daisya is just about to die. Guess we'll have to see how her reaction will be like…

PeroPeroCandy – Seriously? *BLUSH* You exaggerate, I feel like I'm unworthy for this kind of praise… But, I'm really happy to read that you think that my story's good. Well, granted, I still have some flaws here and there, but I'll work hard to make this story even better. Hehe, so you have smiled/laughed/gasped one too many times, eh? Wait until you read this chapter, though. There'll be waterworks…

So now… It's time to unfold this chapter of her life… And see where it'll go from there…

Also… There were specific songs I had been listening to when writing this chapter. It was "Twenty One Guns" by Green Day (not the original, the alternate version where they were collaborating with the cast of "American Idiot.") The other was "Grief and Sorrow" by Masuda Toshiro, which you also know and hear as "The Hokage's Funeral" in the Naruto anime when the Third Hokage dies.

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

* * *

**Unravel**

**XXXVI**

**Never Look Back**

「_A broken promise and the feeling of being left behind._

_But, he will always watch over her from afar to make sure she's safe._

_And she will always keep him close to her heart and mind, living for his sake._」_

* * *

_

All seemed to be quiet in the vast town of Barcelona. Then again, it was nighttime and there was no doubt that Akuma were bumping into the night, searching for Exorcists and people to kill off. Things tend to be eerie at night and it didn't help that there was an odd tower in the middle of the town.

"Hey… _Bzzzt. _Wh— _Bzzzt._"A rip of static cut off the golem communication, so it was hard to hear what Daisya was saying.

"Huh? What did you just say?" Kanda asked quietly, having not gotten that at all, leaning against a ruined wall while sitting on the cold ground.

"The sound quality sucks, Daisya." Marie's calm voice called from Kanda's golem, all the Exorcists being on a linked communication.

"I agree with Marie." Rue's spoke quietly, sounding a little annoyed at the setback. "When we go back to Black Order H.Q., I'm reminding you to get a new golem, Daisya."

"Ah, Hell, my wireless golem hasn't been doing so well lately." Daisya grumbled his complaint.

"Where are you guys right now?" Kanda questioned.

"Maybe 3 km of that odd tower?" Daisya answered with an unsure voice, his current location from the top of a random building.

"I think I'm about 5 km west of it." Marie replied serenely, leaning against a wall of a building that was adjacent to that clock tower.

"North of the tower, but I've no idea how far I am." Rue responded coolly, on a rooftop of a shop. "I think maybe about 4 to 6 km, I'm not too sure."

"Che, I'm to the south." After taking that much information in, Kanda revealed his location in a slightly irritated voice. "So damn annoying…"

"Looks like it's gonna be a long night…" Daisya commented with something between a laugh and a groan, amidst the noise from his golem.

"I can hear the noise of Akuma here and there…" Marie reported urgently. "Looks like we've entered their territory."

"No kidding," Rue muttered cautiously, her quiet footsteps being heard in the background. "From what it looks like, there's a lot of them lurking around and I don't think we'll make it out alive unless we destroy all of them. It's that bad."

"Let's regroup." Kanda suggested, getting up and rearing to go. "If we're within a 10 km radius, we should be able to use our golems to find each other's locations."

"_Bzzzzzt. _Then, Kanda, Rue, and I will meet up where you are, Marie." Seeing where Kanda was going with this, Daisya decided to make his input.

"Yeah, good idea, guys." It was needless to say Rue approved of this; since there were so many Akuma, it would be best to regroup and beat them together.

"When?" As they were having this conversation, a giant Akuma peered from behind a wall at Marie's location.

"At daybreak." And Kanda left it at that, disconnecting the call. Taking out Mugen, he was ready to slaughter all of the Akuma that had found him alone.

oOo

Meanwhile, Daisya was falling from his location, being chased by Akuma. While they were pursuing him, the building he was taking refuge on got destroyed. The adrenaline rushed through his veins as he felt himself flying into the air, landing solidly on the ground.

"Okay!" The Charity Bell, now detached from his cowl, grew to its soccer ball size and he gave it a good upper kick, as if to test it. "Charity Bell, activate!"

Energy glowing from the Innocence, he gave it quite the hard kick.

"SHOOT!"

Though it had made a hole in the giant, humanoid Akuma's head, it looked like it barely made any damage.

"Ha! Tiny, little balls like that aren't going to break me!" It sneered, pleased that the Innocence didn't seem to do much—if any—harm. That was, until it heard a loud ringing it its head. "W-WHAT THE HELL?" It shrieked in horror, clutching its head in agony.

"They destroy you from the inside using sound waves. Don't underestimate the 'tiny, little balls!'" Daisya informed it with a smirk. "Now, resonate like a bell already."

At those words, the Akuma's head exploded, dark blood spraying everywhere. Two Level 1 Akuma that was with it detonated.

oOo

Seeing that there were many Akuma, Marie calculated on how many there were. Five, ten… Probably around fifteen of them had found him and were ready to move in for the kill.

Of course, he wasn't going to go down without a fight.

With Noel Organon activated, he already begun to do his work. The thin wires being summoned, they had wrapped around numerous Akuma.

"Verse of the Saint!" He voiced out, the wires sending out electricity to immobilize the Akuma. And just as quickly, he pulled onto the wires, slicing through the creatures with one, quick stroke.

As soon as he did this, however, more Akuma gathered around him. Letting out a small sigh, Marie realized that Daisya was right: it was going to be a long night for them.

oOo

Feeling herself sliding backwards from the blow she received, Rue landed a hand on the ground to slow herself, so that she wouldn't fall on her butt. Deja was fluttering here and there in the air, recording the fight and using herself/itself as a decoy to distract the Akuma in order to help her/its owner. Growling a little, Rue's sharp eyes glared at the Akuma (which looked like a mutated wolf) with irritation, her mouth a thin line of a grimace.

"Mwehehehehe~" Sure enough, it was mocking her on her prowess. "What's the matter, pup? Are you a dog without a bite, after all?"

"Hah, you'll regret underestimating me like that." Rue declared coldly, a dark smirk on her face. With Deathtrap consumed by fire and Lifelife swallowed up by wind, she clasped her hands together to combine the elements.

Without another word, she ran towards the Akuma with quick agility and gave it strong punches, the fused elements of fire and wind gulping it whole.

oOo

At the Noah hideout in Edo…

"Yo, Tyki!" Road Kamelot greeted the other Noah with a casual grin. "Hola!"

Coming back with the Millennium Earl, Tyki Mikk greeted her back with a what-the-hell-is-this expression, "Hey…! What are you doing?"

"You can't tell? I'm studying!"

"It's homework." The Millennium Earl explained cheerfully with a wide smile to match. "She told me it was due tomorrow~"

"I'm in deep shit! Help me with it!" The female Noah commanded with a sickeningly sweet smile, looking at him with her big eyes.

"I ain't got no education!" Tyki hissed, but helping her with her homework, anyway.

"You can, at least, write characters, right?"

"Tonight, we shall be pulling an all-nighter!" Clearly, the Millennium Earl found this amusing. It didn't help any that he wore a headband on his head that read, "Absolute Victory!"

"Hey, hold on. You called me back to help with _**homework**_?" This wasn't what Tyki had in mind.

As promised, the Millennium Earl had food ready, so to settle Tyki's empty stomach. As Tyki was grudgingly, though willingly, helping Road with her homework, the Earl raised his hand to reveal a checkered patterned card.

"Here's one job~ I want you to go here as my messenger~"

When looking at what the card said, Tyki gave a deadpanned expression and promptly replied with an exasperated smile, "It's far."

"Come now, don't say that!" Shifting his fingers, the Earl revealed a second card by sliding it from behind the first. "The second job~ Delete the people I have listed here~"

With intrigued, vaguely wide eyes, Tyki quietly scanned the list. After done reading, there seemed to be a look in his eyes that spelled out that he was going to enjoy this.

With a smirk, he commented with a chuckle, "That's a lot. Roger." This didn't go unnoticed by Road.

He stood up, already taking his leave. With a relieved smile, he made a neat escape from the table to being on his way out.

"And bye, good luck with your homework…" This was meant for Road.

"Fast!" The Millennium Earl remarked, mildly surprised of the young man's speed.

"Tyki," Road called him. When he looked over his shoulder, she grinned at him softly. "Thanks for helping me out."

His gloved hand lingering on the brim of his top hat (pausing after he put it on), he gave her a side glance and smiled back, saying warmly, "Well, yeah. We're a family, after all…"

Once the door closed shut, signaling his departure, the Millennium Earl mused, "Tyki-pet… I wonder if he's suffering~"

"He is, Lero, friendly with humans." Lero, the talking pumpkin umbrella, commented matter-of-factly.

"I wouldn't say he's 'suffering…'" Road had her own opinion, eating away at candy while she was at it. "More like, 'He's scary.'"

oOo

Daybreak was ready to set out in Barcelona, though the street lamps were still lit. The Tiedoll unit was still fighting, no doubt exhausted by now, still pressing on. By his lonesome and unaware of the Exorcists' presences, Tyki strolled down the quiet streets.

Sighing, he mumbled tiredly to himself, "I'll be living this side of my life for a while, huh…"

What he didn't expect was the nearby wall at the right of him suddenly exploded into rubble.

"Huh?" Tyki wondered aloud in surprise, his eyes wide.

Amidst the smoke, the Noah heard breathing and saw a figure's shadow. Stepping out the smoke, Daisya was making his way through, looking like he was about to run from the Akuma that still persisted on chasing him down. But once he caught Tyki's eye, he was astonished of his presence too, knowing very well that it was a bad sign.

_Shit…! _Daisya cursed, fear coursing through his body. He was so stunned that he didn't even move. _What's a Noah doing here? This is bad, this is really, really bad! I've to go back to warn the others—_

Once Tyki realized the other male was an Exorcist, it was then that he had to do his duty.

And oh, how he would enjoy this. Yes, he would.

oOo

As the other Exorcists were fighting down the enemy, they could hear crackling from their personal golems, indicating that Daisya's own golem was trying to contact them.

However, instead of Daisya's voice, they could hear a different male voice speaking in…

"_Bzzzt, bzzzt, bzzzt _…Killing you… _Bzzzt, bzzzt, bzzz _will be fun…"

His eyes filled with suspicion and alarm, finished with slicing down Akuma, Kanda was calling into his golem in order to reach Daisya.

"Huh? Did you say something?"

Already done killing off Akuma, Marie heard the message too and stopped, feeling something was wrong.

"Daisya?"

And lastly, Rue also heard the transmission from Deja as she got done massacring the last of her Akuma share, not liking the sudden, sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. It came back with a vengeance and, this time, she didn't know if she could stop it.

"…Daisya…?" Ignoring the feeling and hoping it meant nothing, she grabbed Deja from the air and yelled loudly inside with a voice that teetered to desperation. "Hold on! Daisya, can you hear me? Answer, answer me right now! This isn't funny! DAISYA!"

But, the three of them couldn't get a hold of him, unable to find out the whereabouts of their comrade…

oOo

Quick on his feet, Tyki had pinned Daisya down on the ground by the neck, squeezing it tightly. Daisya choked, unable to get any air due to the Noah's strong grip despite his desperate struggles. Though there wasn't a doubt Daisya had his physical strength, it felt like he was no match for his enemy or there was a possibility it was like this because Daisya was worn down by fighting the Akuma the whole night. With the other, gloved hand, Tyki entered it through the Charity Bell wielder's body and—

Suddenly, Daisya began feeling cold; so very, very cold to the point he was slowly going numb…

Thoughts and memories swirled in his mind, as if giving him one last glimpse of what his life had consisted of up until now. The reminiscences of his family life in Turkey, the days he had been in the Black Order for so long… Parents, siblings… General Tiedoll, Kanda, Marie…

_I'm sorry, Dad, Mom, brothers and sisters. I haven't been able to come back to you, after all… Old man Tiedoll, take care of yourself and stay alive. Kanda, don't be a hotheaded ass all the time but continue to be strong. Marie, stay the way you are and don't let your blindness stop you. As much as I don't admit it as often as I should, I love you all._

The last person who had flashed in his mind… Sharp, cold eyes, but there was a gentle, warm smile that broke such an icy mask in an instant…

_"Hey, Daisya… Promise me something."_

_ "Yeah… When this war is over… Let's stay together and always be there for each other like family."_

_That's right… _Daisya thought with feeble anguish, coughing out blood, the red liquid flowing down his mouth. _I made a promise to Rue… To stay with her when the war ends…_

_ I'm sorry, kiddo… _A dry chuckle escaped from him, coughing out more red as he did so, his vision getting blurry. _I'm sorry for not being alive to the very end, for not keeping the promise as you had wanted me to. But, always know that…_

_ You're still my sister to the very end. You, Kanda, Marie, and the General… I will always consider you guys as a second family. _

_ And Rue… Though you may never understand these words because of being the way you are…_

_ I love you, kid. I will always watch over you from the other side as your older brother figure. So… Stay strong, even when I'm gone._

Then, Daisya's eyes saw nothing of the living world ever again.

Only meeting black and emptiness.

Once Tyki pulled out Daisya's heart from his body, Daisya's name disappeared from the card the Millennium Earl gave him. With a crazed grin, the Noah of Pleasure set out to kill other comrades from Black Order H.Q.

oOo

At dawn, Kanda, Marie, and Rue found each other at the front gate of the town, the odd tower a little further ahead. They had been cautious, but they had managed to reunite successfully. Though premonition and uneasiness gnawed at them inside, they ignored it and continued to hang around patiently for their comrade.

The question of Daisya's whereabouts pestered in their minds insistently, but they needed to keep calm and not jump to conclusions. He'll turn up soon, he always did.

Rue's head perked up, hearing something from a distance. She couldn't tell what it was, but it was something beating the air. She felt Kanda and Marie's questioning stares at the back of her head, but she didn't stir from it. She kept rooted to her spot, a fist clenched to her side.

Something black and flying not too far away…

"It's Daisya's golem…" Marie spoke softly with that calm voice of his, an unreadable expression on his face, once the object—confirmed as Daisya's golem—hovered in front of them.

Kanda took that in quietly, bangs covering his eyes.

Rue's stomach lurched at that, her other hand balling into a fist instinctively. Her eyes were blank, but her teeth grounded against each other, her stomach and heart painful from dread.

_No. No, no, no, no, no. _Without even thinking second thoughts, Rue ran away, following the flying golem. Not caring if Kanda and Marie were far behind her, she still kept going as fast her legs could carry her. _No. No, no, no. Daisya, where are you? You're not too hurt, are you? But, since your golem came in your place, something's wrong. Are you okay? Are you still holding on? Are you even lost?_

_ Daisya, please. Please, please, please be safe—_

What she found where the golem led her was a horrifying sight.

From the highest streetlamp in the town, right in front of the odd tower, a corpse hung from above by chains. No doubt it was bounded there by the links, hanging upside down. A tattered black coat… A familiar hood pointed at the end… A face covered with bandages at the sides and at the forehead, two marks under the eyes…

_No._

With quivering legs, Rue kept—made—herself as composed as she could, approaching the cadaver with baby steps. By the time she heard Kanda and Marie finally catching up to her, a shaky hand was outstretched and small fingers pressed onto the corpse's wrist.

No pulse.

Her eyes averted to the corpse's face, fear and shock pulsing in her veins.

Wide blue-gray met lifeless brown. And slowly, slowly, her fingers let go of Daisya's cold wrist.

Bile was coming up her throat (she barely managed to suppress it) and blood ran cold in her veins when seeing _**his face**_. In speechless disbelief, the same, right hand—Lifeline shaking more violently than before—moved to his eyes. Unflinchingly, she moved her hand, gently closing his eyes for him.

That's much better. He looked peaceful, as if he was sleeping…

A sudden, strong grip of something unknown seized inside her and she felt like she couldn't breathe. Without even thinking, her left hand—Deathtrap—moved to his wrist once more and squeezed it tightly, tenderly, desperately.

_Daisya…? Impossible… No… Daisya is… Daisya is—_

Deciding to cut off those thoughts, she swiftly shifted her gaze to something else in order to distract herself, forcing herself to let go of Daisya before she would do the unthinkable – whatever that would be.

As Kanda and Marie speculated on what had happened, talking in hushed tones, Rue kept her back to them and forced herself to constantly keep focus on the sky.

Not because she wanted to, but because she had to.

Suffocation. Numbness. Emptiness. Silence. Bleakness.

It was all she felt.

All she could see in front of her is darkness, despite the beautiful sunrise.

Only the darkness. Only the quiet, overpowering, cold, and blackest darkness took over all of her senses. Kanda and Marie could never reach her now; not even while they were calling for her attention, not even as they got in physical contact with her to check up on her.

Rue was in her own darkness with nobody around to reach out to and she was all alone.

oOo

It had been a completely quiet trip the rest of the way as life continued on for the Tiedoll unit and their constant search for General Tiedoll. Normally, it wouldn't have been like this; Hell, it was _**never**_ like this for them unless they wanted peace and quiet after a hard day of missions. Rue always described the current scenery to Marie, bickered with Kanda, and got mad at Daisya for poking fun at her. With General Tiedoll around, the unit really did seem like family despite their duties.

But, where did all of those days go?

Heaviness can be felt from the three of them, even from a distance. Occasionally, Kanda and Marie threw looks at Rue, but they said nothing to her nor would she sense or respond to it. Because of that, they also exchanged glances with each other, perhaps in a mutual understanding of sorts that they were at a loss of words on what to say.

Especially to her, most especially when it came to her.

How could they _**ever**_ say anything when they knew that the youngest disciple in the unit was so inseparable with the comrade—brother—who got killed around twenty four hours ago? On the other hand, what could they even say? They didn't even know what she was thinking or how she felt about the circumstances at hand right now.

Words were futile since death was such a morbid topic. Surely, it was bound to happen as it had been inevitable many would die and have died in this war. They all knew that, everyone in the Black Order knew that. Why else were they fighting for humanity against the Millennium Earl?

But does that mean they (the Exorcist Generals, Exorcists, Finders, scientists, etc.) don't have the right to grieve for their friends in the Black Order? The friends who gave up their lives just for this damned cause? Did they even have the right to have their own share of sorrow and heartbreak; despite the fact their comrades died all because they had saving the whole world as their constant no. 1 top priority? Choosing the rest of humanity over themselves?

When the universe is at stake, of course you have to find a way to save it and you have to let everything else drop down to lower priorities. You don't have much of a choice or a say in the matter, it's practically forced on you and it's supposed to be your sole obligation.

But, that doesn't mean you should forget you're human too and you have your own wants, needs, hopes, dreams, and emotions to be constantly reminded of. It doesn't mean you should keep giving and giving and not taking, you should be selfish for yourself once in a while. And lastly, you should never, ever forget that you have your own life to live too.

All three Exorcists were lost in their own thoughts, too preoccupied.

_Daisya is gone. This is hard to accept. _Marie mused, keeping his calm but worried gaze on Kanda and Rue from the corner of his eye. _By now, Kanda and Rue would've fought or Rue would be mad at Daisya for making fun of her, but… How could this have happened? Daisya… You will be greatly missed…_

_ What… Am I feeling right now, anyway? _Kanda asked in his head, confused as he felt heaviness in his chest. But, there suddenly seemed to be some sense of anger, perhaps he was trying to deny the feelings—unknown as they were—that were felt in his heart. A scoff escaped from him, brushing the feelings aside, though they still lingered. _It's already inevitable, this happening, because a lot die every day for this cause. Exorcists, Finders… Anyone, they all die. We're in a war and I've already accepted that this was going to happen. But… What is this…?_

Rue only looked ahead, keeping her face straight and calm like her teammates. However, all she could feel was numbness… Her mind was still in a blank state and her eyes were looking into the unknown distance…

All three of them stopped a moment as they inspected closely of the passerby on the road. Though his back was turned, there seemed to be something familiar about the bag he carried and the parcels that were in it… From Marie's super hearing, there was a light scratching sound coming from him as if…

As if he was writing something…?

Or could it be that he was drawing?

Not only that, but the man seemed to be chewing something…

"General." Marie called at once, catching Kanda's attention. Rue didn't have any reaction of some sort when hearing her teammate call for their fatherly figure; rather, she still kept that neutral expression, not once stirring like she didn't know the General was there.

Indeed, it was General Tiedoll himself as he turned around at the sound of his disciple's voice, having formed a bubble from the gum he was chewing.

Once he withdrew the gum bubble, he called out to them cheerfully with a smile, "Hey! Long time, no see!"

Since they hadn't seen each other for so long, it was time for them to catch up. However, only Kanda and Marie were talking to the General about what had been going on while Rue went on as if she wasn't listening. As soon as they got to the topic of Daisya's demise, this seemed to have triggered a subtle reaction from Rue. Though she kept quiet the whole time and her face was kept in composed neutrality, she felt her throat tightening painfully. Her insides became frozen again upon hearing about their companion's fate. Loose fists were formed in her coat pockets, her arms rigid at her sides.

There seemed to be something going unnoticed by all of them. Since Rue's hands were in her pockets the whole time, it meant they all didn't see Deathtrap and Lifeline glowing faintly… They had been like that ever since Daisya's death was confirmed…

Upon hearing news of the fallen Daisya, General Tiedoll was crying heartily. In between hiccups and sniffles, he spoke with a sad voice, "I see… So, Daisya is dead… It… It's so sad… That kid… Always loved to play pranks on me, using the Charity Bell to crack my glasses… He was such a good kid too…"

Rue closed her eyes at this, turning away from her companions. Though tranquil, the pain in her heart was slowly growing…

Although he felt sympathetic, Marie reported calmly, "His body has been transported back to HQ yesterday."

With a somber face, Kanda spoke seriously, "The Charity Bell has been stolen as well. General Tiedoll, just this time, please return with us."

Weighing that option in his mind and turning to Marie, the General asked, "Daisya's hometown was Bodrum, wasn't it?"

"Huh? Ah, yes."

"That town is a beautiful archipelago…"

As General Tiedoll started to draw a charcoal sketch of Bodrum as a tribute to Daisya, Rue just started blankly ahead of her, seemingly unaware of her surroundings. The death of Daisya still seemed so surreal to her, but it was slowly becoming an agonizing reality due to his lack of presence. After all, if he were with all of them now, he would've played a prank on General Tiedoll first thing. It was very much like the fool to do so.

But now… It was quiet. So very, oddly quiet. Yet, the silence felt so loud—so very, very loud—that she couldn't stand it.

_No, don't write off Daisya in past tense. _Her mind scolded her, building a wall to separate herself from the painful truth. _He's just missing, that's all. Maybe he's too busy having fun fighting Akuma, so he's losing track of time. He'll catch up with us soon. That wasn't his corpse we just saw back there, crucified upside down; it was a victim of the crossfire, an unfortunate civilian who was awake at the same time we were… Yes, that's it…_

_ Daisya is just missing, that's all. Pretty soon, he'll startle us and crack General Tiedoll's glasses again like he always does. Then, we'll all be together and complete again like a family…_

_ Yes… A complete family that will remain like this for as long as we live…_

All the while, Deathtrap and Lifeline were glowing brighter and brighter. It was like they were amplified with her emotions…

Vaguely, Rue could hear Kanda sounding a little vexed, perhaps feeling like the General was ignoring what he had said earlier and he was trying to get the reality of the danger through his father figure's head, "General, the enemy is after you and the Innocence you possess."

Sketching, General Tiedoll mumbled to himself, "This is how I remember it, so the real thing may be a little different…"

Taking the paper out with his hands, it had a beautiful sketch of Bodrum on its pristine surface. As always, the detail of the General's art never ceased to amaze his disciples.

Looking up at the sky, he spoke as if speaking to Daisya from the afterlife, "Daisya… I'm sorry if it's just a drawing, but I'm sending your hometown to you. May you rest in peace, somehow…"

That being said, his left hand held a match and he lit it, burning the drawing. As he watched the fire eating away the sketch gloomily and the tears never ceasing, General Tiedoll replied to Kanda's concerns calmly, "I won't go back. We're in the middle of war. And I must complete the mission given to the Generals. Besides…"

As the paper turned into black ash, from their viewpoint, it looked like General Tiedoll was setting it free. He continued on what he was going to say, "I need to keep on looking for new Exorcists. If God has not abandoned us, He will send us new apostles."

_I knew he'd say that. _Kanda mused with a sigh, his head bowed in resignation, eyes closed.

With a wry smile, Marie thought, _Right, typical of Master._

"We'll go with you, General Tiedoll." They both chorused, making the older man turn around to give them a watery smile.

Seeing that she had been rooted to her spot, the General called out loudly to Rue, who still kept her back to all of them, "Rue! We're going!"

It seemed that she didn't hear him. Approaching her ever so hesitantly, General spoke her name, only softer this time. All along, he knew she had been quiet because of Daisya. Knowing that Daisya and Rue were really close, the General could only guess what she felt from seeing only her back. Despite having not made her feelings vocal or expressed, he knew that she was in a lot of pain.

How much pain, though, he didn't know.

"Rue?"

No reply from her was made, though her arms stiffened as if she was straining her muscles. What caught his eye were her hands in her coat pockets. There seemed to be a glow in there… But, what was making it …?

"Rue…?"

At their brightest, Deathtrap and Lifeline were already glowing the color of their power's aura, spreading out to her entire body. Wide-eyed, the General could see his eyes weren't playing tricks on him: there was blue, dark blue, outlining her figure.

And then, it happened. The moment he took a step towards his youngest disciple to check on her, just about a breath's width away, a suddenly explosion covered her. Bewildered and shocked, the General backed away, activating Maker of Eden. Upon seeing this, Kanda and Marie rushed over there, weapons drawn. They scanned around the area, trying to look for any possibility of Akuma.

But, the blast didn't come out from nowhere nor were there any Akuma in the area. When the smoke cleared, all three Exorcists weren't expecting what they were seeing. A water sphere was the result of the detonation, swirling around in a vicious vortex. The startling fact that it was made on the spot where Rue was standing alarmed them and the General ran back over there once more.

With hands outstretched, trying to go through the barricade, the General shouted out of fear, despair, and concern, "Rue! Are you all right in there? Can you hear me? Rue!"

No response.

No matter how hard he tried to claw his way through the water globe, it wouldn't let him go in. One could perceive that the water had a mind of its own, somehow…

"Kanda, Marie." Once their names were called, they were on full guard, serious looks on their faces. "I'll use Maker of Eden to separate the water. When we have an opening, you two go in there and get Rue out as soon as you can before the water seals you in. I'm afraid she may drown in there if this goes on any longer."

"Just a moment, General Tiedoll, my Innocence caught something." Marie looked like he was concentrating on something, one hand on Noel Organon. "I hear something from inside the water orb… Despite the noise the water's making, I can hear soft breathing inside."

"Hm?" As Kanda made his way towards the blue bubble, he caught a glimpse of movement and darkness from inside. The water was too thick, so it was difficult to see. But if his assumptions were right, what he saw hazily was an outline of a body… Turning back to his companions, the serious male laid down the information he gathered, "I saw something move inside the water. Couldn't make out any details, but I definitely saw a body of shadow…"

"How…?" It clicked in General Tiedoll's mind what—who—they were talking about. Staring at the big, blue ball with puzzled wonder, he mumbled to himself, "That's… She's not drowning…?"

She always remained standing, no matter what happened to her or how hard difficult things were. It was always just like her to stand tall and take every burden, every piece of pain, every wound onto herself. Having perfected on keeping her face blank of emotion, everyone around her would question whether she truly had feelings.

Whether she was really human or not.

She was on her knees now, her legs gone numb from feeling anything. She kept her head bowed, unaware that she was trapped in a water whirlpool – or if she was, she thought nothing of it. Her facial expression was obscured in shadow, by both the water and her long bangs. Though you couldn't make out her face, that didn't mean you couldn't read what emotion she felt through body language.

Tight, clenched fists, the fingers dug up the earth deeply. Teeth bared out like she was snarling, gritted together with so much force that you thought they would break. Her body and slumped shoulders that shook violently with grief; how could that be when they were always straight with pride and confidence to face the world without feeling fear, doubt, negativity?

"So… This is _**sadness**_…" The words were barely heard, even if she was saying them to herself. "So, this is what it feels like to really lose somebody…"

As those words escaped from her lips, she felt wetness on her face. It startled her and she looked around slowly and cautiously in her water shield, wondering dimly if it would collapse and really drown her for good. As far as she was aware of, the water didn't drip from above her, it still stayed in place.

Another trail of wetness slid down her cheek and she bit her lip, puzzled on where it suddenly came from. It didn't come from this water and her hair wasn't wet.

Unless…

_Huh? _With quivering hands, Rue put her dirty fingers up to her face with a surging uncertainty. Slowly, they trailed up, following the path the dampness left until they found the location of its source.

Her eyes.

Her vision blurred and, when she blinked, the same wetness came out and slid down her skin. Shaking her head softly, she dabbed her eyes with the back of her hands.

_No…_ That one word repeated in her mind like a mantra, the tears unable to stop falling from her eyes, shaking her head all the while. _No, no, no…_

The teardrops gradually fell in great numbers and they wouldn't stop, marking her cloth covered lap. No matter how much Rue willed or forced herself not to do it anymore, they still fell. Her hands to her face, she shook her head furiously like she felt she couldn't believe it came to this.

"…No…" She cried out in a soft, mournful voice, only for herself to hear. She felt herself being pushed to the edge, an uncontrollable urge to sob almost overtaking her, as the denial couldn't shield her from the unfortunate and unavoidable of Daisya being truly gone. "Daisya, Daisya, Daisya… Why did you have to…?"

oOo

"_So, I've other teammates, aside from Kanda." It was more of a comment than a question from thirteen-year-old Rue as she strolled along with General Tiedoll and Kanda. Currently, they were heading to the forest that surrounded the lower levels of the Black Order._

"_Che. A unit can't be made up of just one Exorcist General and one Exorcist, you know." Sixteen-year-old Kanda remarked matter-of-factly. "While it's true that a General can also take in just one apprentice if they chose to, it's beneficial if you have more since we need more Exorcists for our side of the war."_

"_I agree, Kanda, since it makes sense." She replied calmly, nodding as she did. "Teamwork is essential to this kind of thing. Besides, I haven't been able to meet them yet since they tend to be busy on missions often."_

"_Which is why you should look forward to it, Rue. Because, since all of you are in a team, you should be able to get along well and trust each other, help each other." General Tiedoll said merrily, sketching as he did. "They should be back from a mission soon, so you'll be able to see them. Ah, there they are now."_

_From a distance, they can make out two people in the forest. One of them was a dark skinned, burly twenty six-year-old man who leaned against one of the trees, looking to be relaxing or napping with a pair of earphones on his head. The other was a seventeen-year-old light skinned, lanky male kicking around a golden bell shaped sphere. He looked like he was enjoying himself._

"_This is where you've been, my boys!" General Tiedoll laughed warmly, overjoyed to see them. "Looks like the mission worn you out, I'm guessing."_

_Cracking one eye open, the man against the tree replied calmly, "Yes, General Tiedoll. Mission was tiring, but at least we got the job done. There were two Innocence and a lot of Akuma involved."_

"_But, it was so boring, though!" The younger male whined, kicking the ball in the air. "The Akuma were too easy to defeat! Well, I admit there had been a little bit of difficulty, just a little, concerning locating the Innocence and what not. Other than that, it was so boring since it wasn't challenging enough!"_

"_General." Confusion was clearly written on Rue's face, unsure of what was going on._

"_Ah yes!" General Tiedoll smiled, remembering what he came here for, giving the girl a gentle push for the boys to see her. "Boys, this is Rue Marucut, your newest teammate. Rue, I'd like you meet Noise Marie."_

_Both eyes open this time, though it shocked her that the big man was blind, Marie got up from the tree and approached to General Tiedoll, Kanda, and Rue. He held out a hand to her, a hint of a smile on his face. Unsure on what to feel, Rue extended one of her hands and shook his._

"_Hello. So, you're Noise Marie." She affirmed quietly, never taking her eyes off of him. Though he may look intimidating, there was a calm aura she felt around him that made her relax. "It's nice to meet you."_

"_Nice to meet you too, Rue." The man said kindly, smiling slightly. "I may look like this, but don't hesitate coming to me for anything. Since you're a new Exorcist and you need to work on your Innocence, I'll be guiding you. Of course, from what I heard, Kanda will train you to increase your synchronization rate, which will be beneficial since he's a strong fighter. Know that you can always count on us since we'll be your constant companions from now on, okay?"_

_Looking over his shoulder, Marie called out to the other male._

"_Hey, Daisya. You should come over here and introduce yourself."_

"_I'm coming, I'm coming." Deactivating the Charity Bell and putting it on his cowl, Daisya sauntered over to the group. Upon seeing Rue, he grinned widely as he said cheerfully, "Well, well, well. What do we have here? We got a newbie on our team!"_

_Rue gave him a sharp look, no doubt that she didn't appreciate being called that (then again, anybody wouldn't like being called newbie). Seeing that only made him smile ever the wider, going so far as to make him feel so bold and daring to pull both of her cheeks into a smile – a strained smile, but a smile nonetheless._

"_And that would be Daisya Barry, Rue." General Tiedoll remarked with a laugh._

"_Che, not advisable, Daisya, since the shorty here does bite." Kanda said bluntly, rolling his eyes at what he called Daisya's idiocy. _

"_But, I can't help it! This little guy looks too serious for one a few years younger than us, so it bothers me!" At this, General Tiedoll and Marie exchanged looks. "Besides, I have a feeling that the boy here acts like a mini you, so I've to teach him not to be so serious! Not on my watch do we need another guy who looks like he's got something up his ass 24/7!"_

_Kanda twitched at this, offended by the remark._

"_Tch, then don't act stupid all of the time, you moron! Seriously, you can be so annoying!"_

"_Hey, I'm being truthful here! So, I'm gonna teach the squirt to loosen up, whether you like it or not."_

"_Ummm… Would it be okay if you can let go of my cheeks now? It's starting to hurt."_

"_Ah!" Seeing that Daisya completely forgotten about what he had done, he let go hastily. Laughing nervously, he watched carefully as Rue rubbed her cheeks from the soreness. "Sorry, sorry… I was doing that as a joke. Sort of, anyway."_

"_That's all right." Rue replied calmly, rubbing her cheeks to ease the pain. "I wasn't expecting that kind of greeting, though."_

_Was that a hint of amusement in her voice? _

"_Besides… I'm not angry about it. That kind of thing you did…" Though her feelings were composed, her eyes seemed to be warm for just a moment before snapping back to coldness. "Reminds me of my brother back home."_

_Hearing that comment made Daisya feel relieved and a little happy, glad that Rue wasn't mad. Without thinking, he messed up her hair, exclaiming happily, "Well then, I hope we get along well, little brother!"_

_When Rue needed to excuse herself for a moment, the rest of the Tiedoll unit was having a private conversation about her. _

"_So?" General Tiedoll asked with anticipation and excitement, directing the question to Marie and Daisya. "What do you think of Rue?"_

"_Mmm, seems like the quiet and serious type." Marie commented quietly, looking thoughtful. "Though it's not a bad thing, I know it would take her a little more time for her to adjust to this place, being a new Exorcist and all. Obviously, I couldn't see what she looks like, but I could tell she's years younger than us. Still… I think she'll be able to get used to being here."_

"_Agreeing with Marie." Daisya nodded fervently, a grin on his face. "Definitely the quiet, serious personality he's got going there, though I feel coldness too. Yeesh, what a lot from a little guy, I thought he was really going to kill me for pulling his cheeks like that! I've a feeling he's a blunt person, though he must be awkward in some ways. That's all right. Pretty soon, he'll feel that the Black Order will be his second home, especially with us being his unit and all."_

_General Tiedoll nodded at this in agreement, knowing that their perceptions of Rue were correct. Amusement tickled him on the inside as Daisya really thought Rue was a boy. Wait until the bomb dropped when he found out the real truth, which would be at any given moment now._

"_But, Marie, there's one thing I disagree with you on and that's with Rue's gender. Why are you referring to him as her? The looks were definitely boyish. No sign of femininity at all."_

_ "While I may not have my eyes, my hearing could surely tell the gender of Rue."_

_ "Since I was the one who brought her here to the Black Order, I would know that…The shorty is, without a doubt, female." Kanda had cut in the conversation feeling the need to settle this debate. Well, after all, the majority of Black Order HQ questioned her gender constantly. _

_ Silence; then, cue hysterical reaction._

_ "WHAT? Are you telling me that Rue's really a girl? But, that's… That's impossible!" Well, this was quite a shock for Daisya. But, who could blame him? In front of him moments ago was what looked like a boy, but was actually a crossdressing female. After trying to fumble in his mind for any logical reasoning Rue was a boy, something came to mind. "Aha! I got it! It's because he hasn't hit puberty yet! That's definitely why his voice is still like that!"_

_ "Che, you idiots can't tell that Rue's a GIRL?" Hard for Kanda to believe that Daisya was unable to tell his new comrade's gender, but it was really Rue's looks that confused everyone and he already knew that. After all, why else had Kanda been mistaken for a girl often (and he doesn't even crossdress, for God's sakes!) when his true gender was male?_

_ "There's no way it isn't because Rue hasn't hit puberty because that's the way she is. Though it's true that female voices mature too, it wouldn't go so far as to deepen into a male one." Marie, in spite of everything, was amused about this whole thing. "Her voice sounds too feminine for that, no matter how much she tries to hide her gender by wearing male clothing, so it's impossible."_

_ All three turned to General Tiedoll for a final verdict._

_ "Hard to believe, I know, but Rue's wholly female." General Tiedoll concluded with a hearty laugh. "So, please take care of your __**younger sister**__~"_

_ In perfect or unfortunate timing, nobody would ever know, but they didn't even hear Rue come back. It was not until they heard footsteps that all four males turned around, only to find Rue looked confused, surprised, and… Embarrassed?_

_ Could it be that she overheard the whole conversation? Or did she just happened to hear what General Tiedoll just said, so she managed to piece together the conversation's topic the whole time she had been away?_

_ Either way, there seemed to be something off from her usual, calm aura. But, nobody could tell what it was._

_ There was only one question she asked to all of them about the whole thing._

_ "What's… Going on here?"_

oOo

_The first time meeting Daisya and Marie… _Rue thought somberly, managing to let out a sad chuckle in between her tears. _I would never forget that, especially when Daisya pulled on my cheeks…_

More memories started to pour out into her mind, making the pain of Daisya's loss hurt even more.

oOo

_"Daisya, if you do this, you're going to get in trouble. Again." A blunt voice deadpanned as quiet footsteps were heard in the corridors. "And I don't wish to be involved in your schemes because I'm only going to look like an accomplice. Again."_

_ "But, that's what makes it so much fun!" Eighteen-year-old Daisya exclaimed excitedly, bouncing the Charity Bell on his head. "Lighten up, Rue!"_

_ "I'm only telling you the truth, Daisya. You're just going to get me in trouble!"_

_ "Awww, come on! I promise I won't get you in trouble! Why are you so against this, anyway?"_

_ "Well, it's because my brother back home was like this too. And he still is." Fourteen-year-old Rue sighed, shaking her head as she remembered the times Riley would wreak havoc in the Underground with his pranks. Occasional letters from him still reported of his infamous hoaxes. "And because of that, it's either I got dragged into his plans or he ends up doing his pranks to me too."_

_ "It must've been a lot of fun, though."_

_ "What, getting tricked? Not when my brother has this legendary legacy of pulling off such exploits and earning the nickname of 'The Trickster King' back home because of it. I, myself, have earned two nicknames because of that, depending on the situation."_

_ This intrigued Daisya a good deal. So, of course, he had to ask._

_ "And the nicknames are…?"_

_ "Well, if I'm involved in his schemes like I am with you now, 'The Trickster Prince,' especially when everyone thinks I'm Riley's younger brother due to my appearance." She looked to be faintly amused. However, once she said the next sentence, there seemed to be a dark aura around her. It was the same aura that could've matched up with Allen's own dark side (though, it was obvious he earned such a persona because of General Cross). "On the other hand, when I'm tricked by him and I either give him a taste of his own medicine or give him Hell for it, it's 'Backstabbing Avenger.'" _

_ "Haha, ouch. Sounds like you don't let your brother off the hook at all."_

_ "Of course not!" She clarified with a subtly satisfied expression, a hint of a sinister smirk on her face._

Note to self, _Daisya thought at the back of his mind with a gulp. _Never play pranks on Rue unless I know what she's capable of … But, I'm not ready to die yet!

_As they made their way to the library, not surprisingly, they found General Tiedoll there. Though he may not be so much of the bookish type, he still appreciated art when it came to writing from time to time. Normally, Rue would find him sketching or reading books, so they often met in the library._

_ "You already know what to do, right?"_

_ "Yeah, I know. Besides, I need to talk to the General about something, anyway."_

_ Brushing past Daisya, Rue approached General Tiedoll quietly._

_ "General Tiedoll."_

_ General Tiedoll flicked his eyes upwards from reading, seeing his "daughter" greeting him with a crisp salute._

_ "Ah, Rue." He smiled warmly at her, motioning her to the seat next to him. Gratefully, she sat there. "What brings you here?"_

_ "Well, I do like my peace and quiet once in a while, General. Though… I came here to ask you something and it's good that I found you here."_

_ "Mm? What is it?" _

_ "Well…" Her eyes bore into his, seeking something. "Since you came from France and you're an artist… I was wondering if… If you knew my mother."_

_ This stumped the gentle Exorcist General completely. Perhaps, he assumed, Rue contemplated for a long time about it and that she wanted to ask, but she never really had the chance to. While he didn't answer her immediately, Rue continued on calmly, laying out what she had in mind._

_ "Her name was Cecilia Thomas. Obviously, Marucut became her surname after she got married to Father, though she continued working on her art." She frowned a little, racking her brain to remember whatever she could of her parents, of her normal life. "Like you, she really loved art… She really did, putting all of her heart into her pieces… She didn't care what people thought when they told her to quit pursuing art and go for another profession. The reason why people—usually family than everyone else— always fussed about her profession was because she was a little wealthier than the average person. Not extravagantly rich like royalty or even nobility, but a little more than enough wealth to get through her life. And they expected her to make them rich when she grew older, hence the constant pressure of finding a career that would provide lots of money."_

_ Her expression softened as she recalled the words that were written in her mother's diary._

_ "But because she decided to take her life into her own hands, she got disowned from her family… In her diary, she said that she was taken under wing of a very skilled artist to improve herself and prove everyone around her wrong…"_

_ Something in General Tiedoll's eyes flickered once Rue mentioned this. _

_ "Rue…"_

_ Snapping out of her trance, Rue looked up to older man._

_ "Yes, General?"_

_ "If what you're saying is true…"_

_ Before anything else could be said, a familiar voice shouted out a command._

_ "RESONANCE!"_

_ Ringing blasted through the room from a few feet behind them, followed by cracking and splitting. Horrified, General Tiedoll's vision suddenly went blurry as the glass of his spectacles shattered. Whipping their heads around, the two found the Charity Bell hovering from above them. Not too far away was Daisya, who was grinning so widely that it would put the Cheshire Cat and the Millennium Earl to shame._

_ "Daisya!" General Tiedoll yelled angrily, getting up and ready to scold him. "What did I tell you about breaking my glasses?"_

_ "Ahahaha~ Gotta go!" With that, the mischievous Exorcist hightailed out of the quiet sanctuary as General Tiedoll was hot on his trail. Sighing in frustration and shaking her head, mildly displeased on how Daisya had interrupted such a crucial moment, Rue set off to find the two._

oOo

_Always cracking General Tiedoll's glasses whenever he got the opportunity… _Rue mused sorrowfully, curling up into a ball as she rocked herself back and forth. The tears still made their course downwards, her heart aching with a pain that she never knew existed. _Always, always…_

_ Through thick and thin, good and bad, Daisya was always with me. Why…_

_ Why did you have to go…?_

oOo

_It was for certain that he looked all over for her on this day. She didn't know, but she had the strong feeling he did. She could even bet on it that he asked people—be it Komui, Reever, Lenalee, Kanda, Marie, or Lavi—around in the Black Order if they had seen her. It wouldn't even surprise her in the least if he looked in places he thought he'd usually find her in._

_ Once Daisya found Rue in Hevlaska's chamber (Rue refused to check her synchronization rate because of being under training, but she would come to Hevlaska to talk or when she needed a once-in-a-while escape from everything), he looked tired, worn out. But once he made eye contact with her from a few feet away, there was mixed emotions on his face: relief and worry._

_ "So, this is where you've been all along…" He mumbled tiredly, shaking his head softly as he took a seat next to her. "Mind explaining to me why you've been cooping yourself here all of this time? I've been hearing from other people in the Black Order that you've disappeared like this for two days in a row already and they had no idea where you went off to."_

_ She wouldn't—couldn't—answer him as she shifted her head a little to turn away from him. Were his eyes playing tricks on him or did she just grimace?_

_ With a sigh, Daisya tentatively placed a hand on her shoulder cautiously as he felt a thick tension in the quiet room. He already knew when she was unable to express her feelings by face or voice or knowing when she was not fine, even as she kept her face in cool composure, it took Rue a while—quite a while—to tell him. Or, like most of the time, she wouldn't tell him her thoughts at all because Rue felt his presence was enough for her._

_ He wasn't expecting her to fall back from his touch, her body leaning against his, nor was he expecting her to look slightly pained. Once she looked up at him, the melancholy in her eyes could be seen and it left him shaken with sorrow._

_ "Hey…" With a slight frown, he tousled her hair softly, locking eye contact with her. "What's the matter?"_

_ She bit down her lower lip, unsure of what to say. Her face clearly told him the sentiments she felt, but no words made any clarification. Instead, she broke away from his worried gaze, only to turn around and press her face into his shoulder. Reflexively, Daisya pulled Rue closer to him, still glowering._

_ "…Upset…"_

_ "Hm? You're upset?"_

_ "Yeah… I got into a fight…"_

_ Those words came out, barely above a whisper. His frown deepening, Daisya kept Rue close to him with his hand at the back of her head, not liking how her voice sounded._

_ "With who?"_

_ The one word, name, that escaped from her sounded cracked and strangled._

_ "Lavi."_

_ The mention of the Bookman apprentice had him muttering strings of curses under his breath. It always seemed that Lavi and Rue had been fighting occasionally. It pissed Daisya off even more when she would get hurt like this because of him. _

_Sighing, he messed up her hair again, trying to think of a way to make her feel better like he always did._

_ "Do you want to talk about it?"_

_ Rue slowly shook her head, keeping her head on his shoulder. Daisya only sighed in response, but nodded in understanding, cradling her head close._

_ "You being here… Is more than enough for me."_

_ He looked down at her in surprise, not expecting that. She continued on, unwavering._

_ "Looking for me… Then, finding me and just being here with me… Is more than enough for me, Daisya. So…"_

_ Keeping her head in place, hiding the blush that grew on her cheeks, her last words came out quiet, muffled. But, Daisya already knew what it was, smiling slightly when he barely heard them._

_ "Thank you."_

oOo

"_Hey, Daisya… Promise me something."_

_ "Yeah… When this war is over… Let's stay together and always be there for each other like family."_

Those words were forever etched in her memory, echoing over and over endlessly. What a horrible shock, to hear those painfully ironic words right before Death claimed him. Sinking in, leaving a lingering scar in her heart, it was then that she started to see red.

Grief turned into a burning, white hot anger from the very core...

Akuma… The Noah family… Most especially, the Millennium Earl…

They did this, causing the war in the first place. The pain, sorrow, blood, tears, death… All of it. The reason why humanity was in constant danger, why loved ones were dying every day, why the whole world was thrown into chaos…

All of that was happening because of them.

And she wouldn't take that lying down.

Of course not.

_I will make you bleed._

Like a phoenix reviving from the ashes, Rue slowly picked herself up from the ground, standing solidly on her own feet.

Back straight, shoulders back, head up high.

_I will make you feel pain._

Deathtrap and Lifeline, curled into fists so tight that it hurts to look at.

_I'll never, ever forgive you… I will make sure that you, all of you, will suffer for this immensely. _

Dark, sharp, and hollow blue gray eyes, ready to kill someone on the spot with a freezing glare. No more tears, no more sadness left in her...

All that was left inside of her was the strongest killing intent she ever felt.

From the outside, General Tiedoll, Kanda, and Marie backed away swiftly, seeing that the water sphere was swirling into a liquid tornado. And then, they saw a shadow emerging out…

Coming out, her tattered cape flapping behind her, the water cyclone tore apart into ribbons and infused into her fighting gloves.

"Rue…?"

Seeing (in Marie's case, hearing) the water absorbing into her Innocence, it confirmed what she had been feeling all of this time. Though they felt—to some degree—a need to confirm what she was feeling at the moment, somehow, they all felt unnerved to do so.

Something was different about her now.

And they didn't know how to take it, didn't know whether it was good or bad.

Approaching to them, Rue had on that composed face as she usually did. However, General Tiedoll and Kanda saw _**something **_lurking in her eyes. And though Marie may be blind, he felt a strong energy from her. What it was, he had no clue, but it was clear that it was fueled by _**something**_.

"Kanda, Marie. We have a mission to do and that is to follow General Tiedoll and protect him. So, let's go already before the Millennium Earl makes his next move."

A worried expression (Marie) and a bewildered face (Kanda) was what she got for answers. Looking from the corner of her eye, she addressed the man she had considered as a father figure during her stay in the Black Order.

"General Tiedoll," he jolted when being called, snapping out of his daze. "I'm all right. Don't worry about me anymore."

And so, the Tiedoll unit was on the move again, ready to face anything that would cross their paths.

Thumping her chest with a clenched Deathtrap, a silent vow was made in Rue's aching heart…

_I will not hold back or fight carelessly or even give mercy. I will give it my all and take down all of these bastards myself. _

_The Millennium Earl, the Noah, the Akuma… I will never lose to you. Never again. This time, it's personal and you've crossed the line._

_There will be blood and I will not stop until I've fulfilled my vengeance…_

_ Daisya… I will not stop until I kill your murderer with my own hands. But, I will live for your sake, so I'll make sure not to die…_

_ You'll always be in my heart, so please watch my back.

* * *

_

Hitomi: And now, I am finally done, breaking record of my word count. Sorry if this took so long, college junior year is really getting the best of me and I'm so stressed and burnt out because of it. Ugh, so not looking forward to midterms next month, so NOT.

Originally, I was planning to end this chapter differently. I was going to have Rue run to General Tiedoll for comfort and what not, but… It would've been too drastic of a reaction. Then again, she broke down because of Daisya, so it would've been reasonable. But, it didn't feel right, so the chapter ended like this.

And so, Rue finally unlocks the power of Water… Under these circumstances. Depressing, really. You'd think she'd get this power another way, but she got it when someone close to her died. Now, she'll harness that power out of vengeance… I wonder what'll happen from here on out since I need to make up her journey with the Tiedoll unit as they go on their way to Edo. That'll be an interesting development for her…

I would say more, but… Haven't been sleeping or eating well due to school, so I'm pretty much suffering. Hah, my back's been hurting a lot more lately too, no doubt because of so much stress, pressure, and workload. Writer's block ready to kick my butt isn't helping either. Make note that because of these stressful times, I MIGHT, MIGHT, put this on hiatus.

But, it won't be for too long. Just as long as I have less workload, I'll be able to write more.

Being seeing you next chapter, guys~ And since I'll be putting this on a temporary hiatus, I might as well think of ideas for Ice Flare now.


	37. Falling to Pieces

Hitomi: … *GETS SHOT, BIG TIME* I know, I know! About time for an update, eh? I'm sorry if I haven't been writing lately. I've been in quite the writer's block and it's made me gone frustrated. But, it's a good thing that I've managed to finish this chapter before second semester of school starts this Monday. XD Right on time, eh?

These days, I didn't feel like responding to the reviews this time. Maybe it's because I got lazy or guilty for holding off this chapter for too long. But, I want you guys to know that I've always been appreciative of your feedback and your support. It really means a lot to me, to have you guys stick to reading Unravel up to now.

DX And yeah, yeah, I KNOW I was supposed to update Ice Flare! *headdesks* But, I've been stuck in this writer's block (for fanfiction) for more than a month. As for original fiction… *laughs weakly* Much worse, writer's block for over a year. But… I'll get by… As long as I got your support, I'll be all right. I'll find a way out, somehow. I may not be able to update as much as I used to, but I will still write.

Now then, it's time to see how this will all unfold as the Tiedoll unit continue on their journey to Edo. Travelling in numbers with danger constantly lurking, they continue doing their best to protect General Tiedoll at all costs. However…

What's happening to Rue now during all of this?

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

* * *

_ There she stood, right in the middle of the bright scenery. Though she had no idea where she was, it was so clear and warm. The nature surrounding her was beautiful. There were trees rustling in the soft breeze while long grass looked like green waves and tickled her legs. Upon more observation, she was standing in a field of beautiful flowers of every size, shape, and color. _

_ She could hear _his _laughter. Looking straight ahead of her was _him_, playing around with the Charity Bell as usual. Once _he_ sensed her presence and turned around to see her, _he_ flashed a wide grin at her, waving as if beckoning her to come over to _his_ location._

_ She took her steps in a sprint; the need to be with _him_ was very strong. But as she ran towards _him_, the more she ran, the farther away _he_ was; however, _he_ seemed to be oblivious to this as _he_ was still waving at her, wanting her to be by _his _side. Still determined to catch up to _him_, she kept going, though the distance between them got bigger and bigger._

_ After what seemed like forever, she was so close, so very close, to just touch _him. _Just when _his _hand reached out to ruffle her hair, a gesture of affection _he _gave her countless times before…_

_ The scenery flashed in blinding light and she took a step back and shielded her face, shocked and unsure of what was going on. When the light faded, the scenery changed drastically. The abundant nature around her was dead now; flowers wilted no leaves on the tree, and the grass into a rusty brown. The weather was no longer warm and bright; there were dark clouds masking up the very blue sky as cold, heavy rain fell down. _

_ When looking in front of her again, she found _him _crucified upside down and chained to a bloodstained tree, dead eyes starting back at her. She ran over there, about to take down the chains and let _him_ go into her arms as if to warm _him_ back to life, but _he_ dissolved into black and never came back._

He _disappeared without a trace and without a proper goodbye._

_ And taking _his_ place was the Millennium Earl, feral gold eyes staring down at her._

_ "I will take away everything precious to you, Marucut…" The First Noah whispered eerily with wide, evil smile lighting up his face. "And I will make sure that you will be broken before I end your life."

* * *

_

**Unravel**

**XXXVII**

**Falling to Pieces**

「_I've to keep reminding myself that many will die in these circumstances._

_I've to keep reminding myself of my duties._

_And, most importantly, I've to keep reminding myself that I'm an Exorcist._

_But, why is it so difficult to accept now…?_」_

* * *

_

She woke up with wide eyes as she sat up at once, cold sweat matting her hair to her forehead. Her breath came out in ragged panting and her heart was beating wildly in her chest. What seemed like hours were only a few yet torturous minutes; it took quite some time, but the thumping slowly went back to normal. A rough sigh escaping from chapped lips, she ran a hand through her hair in frustration, her body paralyzed and shaken with fear.

Darting her eyes around in a paranoid fashion, she only met darkness, save for the moonlight pouring in from the windows. Sighing again, she shook her head, cursing under her breath out of exasperation on how disturbed she felt from her horrible dream.

_Not again. _Rue fussed inwardly with a grimace, her gaze shifting to her blanket covered lap._ I think this will be the start of my insomniac days again…_

It had been three days since Daisya died and the Tiedoll unit was currently recuperating in Black Order HQ before being given another mission. Since then, Rue had not been getting any decent sleep. Nightmares of Daisya's death plagued her slumber, forcing her to wake up in the ungodly hours of the morning. In order to distract herself from both the unbearable pain of loss and the unshakeable fear, she made it an every day routine to train alone around this time until sunrise or so.

Getting up from her bed, she stumbled out of the room. Being the only one awake, it was total silence in the middle of the night. Being careful not to trip, she went down the spiral corridors to go to the lower floors where the bathrooms were.

Making it into the bathroom and going straight to one of the sinks, Rue splashed cold water on her face to get the sweat off and to keep herself awake. With dull eyes, she looked into the mirror and observed her face's paleness and the darkening eye bags. Lips in a thin line, no sound came out from her, but she already formed unvoiced assessments regarding her current condition.

_Looks like someone's getting haggard…_ She mused quietly, scooping water into her hands and wetting her face again. _But, I guess it can't be helped. After all…_

_His _face appeared in her mind, looking to be in good cheer as he always did. There was a sense of heaviness on her chest, followed by a wave of nausea, when she saw him.

_If only I wasn't far away at that time, if only I had made it…_

Deciding not to dwell on it anymore, she went back to her room and grabbed her coat and boots. Having taken out the pocket watch from her coat pocket, it displeased Rue to see that the time was 4 in the morning. Checking on last minute adjustments (daggers equipped at her side, pouch fastened onto her leg, etc.), she made her way out. A worried Deja tagged along, feeling a strong need to watch over her/its mistress.

Looking over her shoulder, the Exorcist gave a gaze that bore through the silver golem. Oh, if only the tiny machine had the function of speech, she/it would've voiced out that Rue looked really scary.

"Tagging along as always, huh, Deja?" She/It only gave a weak, reluctant nod. "Heh, I already told you that I'm fine. But, I guess you can't help but worry, hm? Well then, let's go. Don't worry, we're not going that far. Wouldn't want the rest of them having a hard time looking for me, you know."

With Innocence activated, Rue made her way out of her room and closed the door. With footsteps as quiet as a mouse, she was off to head to the training grounds as she usually did. The golem trailed behind at a certain distance, sensing that the Exorcist had undeniably changed ever since _he _died.

As much as Rue was stubborn to admit that, it was true.

_I've to shake this off. I am an Exorcist and I have to take my duties seriously. I can't give into this. I can't._

_No matter what, I've to be strong for you._

oOo

_Don't think._

_ Don't think._

A swipe here, a swipe there, all of them a silvery blur in the early sunrise. A punch launched and another one making a blow in the air. The Innocence glowed with the elements it had learned for the past two years, forming into powerful energy with the intention to kill.

_Fight until there's red; dark red that stains everything and will never come off; a dark red to remind everyone that I mean business. _

"Have you forgotten? I was never originally an Exorcist." She whispered sinisterly, slashing the air with silver. "I am an assassin. And you, Millennium Earl, know that very well, so get ready."

The daggers were wielded with skilled precision, poising for execution. Her teeth were gritted and she was sweating now; this time, from solo training.

"Rue!"

She sheathed her daggers immediately, not batting an eye. Looking up to find the source of the voice, she saw a tired Reever who was calling her. Turning a full about face, she strode over to him, not breaking her strides.

"Yes, Sir Reever?"

"There you are, I've been looking all over for—"

He stopped abruptly the moment he met her face. There it was, she had that look on her face. He never saw that look not since she first came into the Black Order; that emotionless, cold look that made her seem that she wasn't human.

"Ah…"

"Hm?" Her voice was calm, the cold look slipped into innocent confusion. "Is something the matter, Sir Reever?"

He cleared his throat, adding in a white lie, "No, no… It's just that I thought you look tired. Your face looks awful."

"I guess so. I've been waking up earlier and earlier these days. Seems that my body's trying to adjust to it." She murmured sleepily, letting out a yawn. "So, why are you looking for me? Did something happen?"

He chuckled, relieved that her cold mask disappeared. Perhaps, he was imagining things. Well, after all, he was tired and had been up from coffee to do a lot of paperwork, thanks to a certain supervisor who shall remain nameless.

"Nah, nothing serious. Johnny's looking for you since he's made another uniform for you."

"Oh…"

He looked at her carefully again, a bit surprised at her tone. It sounded flat… But, it seemed to be tinged with sadness too.

"Are you okay, Rue? You don't sound happy about it."

"No, no." She shook her head furiously, meeting his face again with eyes that glowed with appreciation. "I actually wanted to see what Johnny's up to with uniform making. And I am thankful on how hard he works on it, but…"

Hesitation cut off her sentence and she wasn't sure what to say. Before Reever could say anything to question it, Rue shook her head again as if to silence him, having made her mind up.

"It's nothing. Well, I suppose we should get going, Sir Reever. Wouldn't want to keep Johnny waiting."

With that, she brushed past him, putting an end to the conversation. As the older scientist followed her to the Science Department, there were a lot of questions at the back of his mind. Looking at her back, somehow, he felt his chest tightening in pain from the sight of it. It just gave off such a heavy aura of sadness, as if she was bearing pain all by herself.

Why, why did that look come back to resurface? Why had Rue sounded sad just a moment ago? Something must've happened when she and the rest of the Tiedoll unit came back to HQ to recuperate. And if so, what was wrong?

Did it have to do with _him_?

oOo

In her new uniform now, Rue was back in her room, examining herself in the mirror. Turning this way and that, checking out the detail, she seemed to like it.

_But, it feels so unfamiliar… _She thought serenely, looking at herself once more. _Well, it is a new coat… And it's my size, so…_

_ What's wrong?_

She looked at her bed, seeing her old uniform all neatly folded up. An unknown sensation stirred in her body and, promptly, she turned away from it.

_The memories… All of it, they're still…_

"No. I've to keep working." She muttered in frustration, a clenched fist formed and punching a nearby wall, making a fairly deep dent. "I will not let myself think about it. I have to keep moving forward."

Opening the door, she slammed it on her way out, trying to cut away whatever was bothering her.

_Because moving forward is the only thing I can do right now._

oOo

Once more, the Tiedoll unit had set out traveling, already boarded on a train and killing time. General Tiedoll and Marie were making small talk with each other and Kanda was napping; obviously, it was going to be a long journey, their next destination. Somewhere in the first class compartment, in a somewhat isolated spot, Rue watched the scenery rolling by outside from the window.

While still conversing with Marie, the gentle Exorcist-General momentarily glanced over to his youngest disciple and frowned in concern. Something was wrong with her and he knew it; but, no matter how much he tried to get answers from Rue, she always played it off as nothing.

Rue was lost in her own thoughts and dark prospects were starting to take over…

_So, it's off to Edo we go… _She mused, closing her eyes. _So, _they're _there, huh?_

oOo

_"Your next mission is to go off to Edo." Komui announced once the Tiedoll unit gathered up in his office. "Sources say that there are many Akuma being created there. Reports have also been given that the Earl and the Noah family are there too."_

_ "So, you're saying it's their base, Sir Komui." Rue concluded solemnly, her eyes dark at this piece of news. _

_ "So to speak, Rue." Komui didn't seem to notice the change in Rue; in fact, it was like he was unperturbed. "We also got word from the others that General Cross is possibly there."_

_ Rue stiffened a little at this, the feeling of dread coming back. Now that she thought about it, ever since _his _death, she couldn't get a hold of Allen and the others, who were in China at the time. When she tried to, their end of the communication line sounded rather chaotic. _

_ Gulping, a hand grasped a sheathed dagger as she gave the supervisor an unreadable gaze. The rest of the occupants in the room were uneasy in their own way from Rue's actions. General Tiedoll looked a little anxious, Kanda frowned slightly in confusion, and Marie shifted in discomfort, sensing something was wrong._

_ "Sir Komui." She called out to him, her voice quiet and flat, her grip on the dagger tightening._

_ "Y-Yes, Rue?" Now, he was surprised at her sudden change of emotion._

_ "What happened… To Allen and the others? I've been trying to contact them, but… Every time I do, it sounded like something was wrong. Do you… Know?"_

_ A deadly silence struck the room. Kanda and Marie could only look at the apprehensive supervisor while General Tiedoll had a resigned look on his face. Perhaps, in their own way, they knew what happened to the Cross unit (though, how much detail of the incident they had, one could only know; though, it wasn't a surprise General Tiedoll knew about all of it). But, they left Rue in the dark about it to spare her any more pain because what happened to _him _changed her._

_ In a quiet, serious tone, Komui said, "General Tiedoll, Kanda, Marie."_

_ With a nod, General Tiedoll said, "If you please excuse us. Kanda, Marie, we'll be waiting outside."_

_ Though both disciples had puzzlement written on their faces, they didn't question their mentor's actions. One by one, they went out. Before General Tiedoll went out, being the last one, he looked over his shoulder and gave Rue a meaningful expression. To which the tomboy only responded with a curt nod, letting go of her weapon's hilt._

_ When the door shut with a soft click, Rue turned to look at Komui, bewilderment and seriousness displayed. With that look, Komui sighed, smiling wryly at her as if to say, "What am I going to do with you?"_

_ The truth came out in slow reluctance, but it got to the bottom line and gave the information Rue sought for. In China, there was a disaster around the period when Daisya had died. Suman Dark, one of General Sokalo's disciples, had turned into a Fallen One because of telling Tyki Mikk information about the Black Order in exchange for having his life spared in battle due to having a wife and daughter back home. Though Allen had tried to save Suman by taking his Innocence, his mind was already dead. And when Allen planned to bring Suman's body back to the Black Order for burial, the corpse was eaten away by Tyki's Tease._

_ Hearing Allen was fighting against Tyki; Tyki inevitably leaving him at Death's door and destroying his left arm; and the Exorcist's current stay in the Black Order's Asian Branch to recover from his wounds and restore his broken Innocence, left Rue stiff in shock._

Allen… Allen almost died…? _It was difficult for her to digest this. And once it suddenly hit her, the dark emotions in her heart grew more and more at a rather frightening pace._

_ "Sir Komui, this Noah… Is he the Noah who kills people without leaving external injuries?" _

_ "W-What?" _

_ "Then, I'll repeat myself, Sir Komui." Walking over to his desk, keeping her eye on him with that unreadable look, she asked in a polite but bone chilling tone. "That Noah you're talking about… Is he the one who can kill people without leaving external injuries?"_

_ The silence was thick, tense, and unbearable; the time stood still in an on-the-edge-of-your-seat suspense; and Komui, poor Komui, was at a loss of what to say. He knew about Daisya's death, having been told reports that he—and a few other Exorcists—died with no wound marks. He had a good idea on where this was going, having known Daisya and Rue's bond. He was conflicted on whether to tell Rue the truth or not after seeing countless, unseen wounds that she tried so hard to hide; the wounds that steadily grew bigger the stronger she became._

_ But, she deserved to know. _

_ Taking a deep breath, Komui locked eye contact with Rue, and finally got out his answer in a soft voice, "…Yes, Rue. The Noah that almost killed Allen is the one who kills people without inflicting injury on their bodies." _

_ She closed her eyes in resignation, the emotions deep within her ready to burst. Involuntarily, her hands clenched into tight fists, fingernails digging in the palms deep enough to draw out blood._

_ Turning away in order not to show her emotions, she opened her eyes, already knowing they had gone dark with an emotion that was beyond anger. She spoke again with a voice hoarse from not speaking for so long, a voice that barely contained the sentiments she gave all of her willpower not to slip out, "…That's all I needed to know."_

_ As she walked to the office door, she stopped in front of it._

_ "Sir Komui."_

_ The supervisor jolted at the sound of her voice, startled, because was so lost in thought on whether it was the right thing to tell Rue the truth or not. _

_ "Yes, Rue?" Komui replied hastily, observing her warily with concern. He couldn't see her expression well from his desk, and there was the fact that her long bangs always hid her eyes, but it surprised him to see her lips lifted up in a small smile. But, somehow, it didn't feel right. _

_ Smiles were meant to be for happiness, for joy; but hers looked so fragile, as if she was ready to…_

_ Cry._

_ Could you really make any sense of it, a sad smile? Who would've thought such a paradox existed? _

_ " Thank you… For telling me the truth, Sir Komui. I owe you… A lot for it." Her voice was cool, but there was a slight tremor to it. "When I come back here… I… I will become a powerful Exorcist who will destroy the Akuma, the Millennium Earl, and the Noah family__… And save__ everyone with all of my strength."_

_ With that, she opened the door and hurriedly closed it on the way out, running footsteps heard from outside until they faded away. _

_ Komui sat back in his chair, feeling weary and frustrated and not in the mood to do paperwork. Seeing Rue like that really made him feel helpless, reminding him so bitterly that he couldn't do anything for her—or anyone else in the Black Order; most especially the Exorcists, even his own sister—at all. How he hated seeing everyone in the Black Order suffering in this war in more ways than one and he couldn't do anything but watch._

_ But being there for everyone was all he could for he was their leader, Supervisor Komui Lee. _

_ And they knew better than anyone else that he would always be there for them, no matter what._

oOo

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you, Allen. If I had known that happened, I wouldn't have let you be at the brink of Death."

"It's all right, Rue. You had your own mission to fulfill with the Tiedoll unit. I should consider myself lucky since the Black Order Asian Branch found me and all. I… I really thought I was a goner."

"Well, it's a good thing you're still alive. I…"

"Hm?"

"I don't… Want you dying on me now."

"Rue…"

"I'm not letting you die on me. That's an order, Walker."

"H-Hey! Since when do you call me Walker?"

"Or would you prefer Beansprout?"

"Argh, no, not you too! That's the last thing I want as I already got stupid Kanda and Lavi calling me that! And you already know that, so I'm begging you not to call me beansprout!"

"Then, promise me that you won't die."

"Rue—"

"_Promise me._"

"…I promise I won't die, Rue…"

"…Good. Now, rest up as I know you need to train to get your Innocence back and you still need to recover from your wounds. Feel better, Allen, okay? Make sure you get lots of sleep. Heh… Make sure you eat a lot too; knowing you, you bottomless pit."

"Hehe, yeah… Thanks. Hey… Rue?"

"Mm?"

"If something's wrong or if you feel down… You know you can tell me anything, right? I may not be able to solve all of your problems, but… I'm more than willing to listen."

"…I know. Thank you. The same to you, okay? I don't want you to hold your burdens all by yourself… Especially when you're the 'Destroyer of Time.'"

"Don't worry… I know I can rely on you."

A click was heard, the call disconnected. With Deja now perched on her shoulder, Rue started sketching in the exchange diary, something she occasionally did when Lavi had been away for the Ireland mission.

_So, the Noah who killed _him _was the one who almost killed Allen too, huh? _Her lips pursed grimly, trying to keep herself under control, which was proving to be difficult as the days passed by. _When I go to Edo… I'll make sure he feels pain. Every last one of them, I'll make sure the Innocence will eat them alive and burn their souls. _

_Nobody hurts my comrades and gets away with it, not on my watch._

_You crossed the line, this is personal, and you will pay the price. _

As she concentrated on drawing with these dark thoughts in mind, she felt something patting her head, snapping her out of it. Quickly averting her gaze from the page to see who disturbed her, she looked up to see General Tiedoll, who greeted her with a small but warm smile. Apparently, his hand was patting her head since he moved his seat to be with her.

She looked back and forth, from him to the exchange diary and back. To this, he only gave a nod, as if telling her she could continue doing what she was doing. She only nodded back, slowly getting back into the psyche of drawing. His hand stayed on her head, stroking her hair, occasionally watching her from the corner of his eye as he, too, was lost in thought.

Though somewhat unaware of how badly Daisya's death affected Rue, he still wanted to be there for her, unable to stand seeing her like this because it broke his heart. She was alone and she needed comfort, despite not voicing out such. He knew how she felt so very well: Daisya was like a family member in the Tiedoll unit, he was like a son to him and a brother to Kanda (as much as he would NEVER admit it), Marie, and most especially Rue.

It couldn't be helped that one thought popped into General Tiedoll's mind and it stuck with him since Daisya's death as he slowly watched his "daughter" suffer a fatal blow that left a big wound to the heart.

_It's as if Daisya took a piece of you with him, Rue._

The artistic Exorcist-General couldn't—wouldn't—say anything to console her for Death was an inevitable part of life and it came in unexpected turns. That and she wouldn't take pity; he definitely knew that part of her very well enough.

But, he couldn't help but cried the tears for her while she, herself, grieved inside.

Would her wounds heal? Would be she able to go through life, stronger than before, even with the constant fear of losing a loved one? Would she ever forgive herself for something Daisya wouldn't—and didn't—blame her for at all?

Only time would tell.

Being there for someone to show them that they cared was all there was to "tell" them that everything will be all right.

And that was enough.

oOo

The ship—in perfect condition under Miranda's Innocence—had set sail for Edo from China and everything seemed to be calm, though everyone still kept up their guards in case of enemy assault.

Inside the Exorcists' room at the moment were Bookman and Lavi. Lavi was studying as he always did while Bookman was taking notes, recording this event.

"Lavi."

"Yeah, Gramps?" The junior Bookman replied without looking up, absorbed in his studies.

"Remember what I told you a few days ago before we set sail?"

How could Lavi forget? It was a scolding he received after being angry at Lenalee and making her cry because she was condemning herself on what happened to Allen back in China. Not only did he get quite a good smack on the head, thanks to Bookman as usual, but there was a harsh rebuke that followed concerning his Bookman duties.

Even now, he still recalled the cold words: _"Do you believe yourself to be God's apostle? You are the successor of 'Bookman' and nothing else. Haven't I taught you to be nothing more than an onlooker, regardless of the situation? As Bookman, you must place yourself within that and record all matters with fairness. You must not be affiliated with anything nor be biased. In the hidden history, there will be evidence of war, and because of that war, history will change. Don't be taken in by the war. We are only on the Order's side 'by chance,' all for the sake of recording history. Don't forget our goal, Lavi."_

"Yeah? What about it?" The boy answered indifferently, still not looking up. He still felt a strange sense of shame because of that lecture, which was why he was acting like this.

"…That includes Marucut as well. After all, during the time when you were getting Arystar to join the Black Order, Allen Walker, who was with you that time, did say that Marucut was with you two."

Hearing Rue's surname made Lavi's heart stop. Slowly, as if trying not to be affected by it, Lavi closed his book and looked up, giving his elder an unreadable expression.

Then, he put on a small smile, chuckling wryly, "What are you talking about, Gramps? It's not like she's affected me from my duties—"

"You're lying."

He stiffened, caught off-guard from Bookman's conclusion. Even so, he still attempted to put on a smile, trying again, "Really, she isn't—"

"Lavi. I know that you're attached to her, don't lie to me." Bookman said calmly, finally stopped taking his notes as he gave his apprentice a withering stare. "And even whether you realize it or not, the fact still stands that she's starting to get to you as well."

"That's…"

"If you're not attached to her, prove me wrong."

At this, he couldn't take it anymore. Without warning, Lavi got up from the desk and slammed his hands on the table, giving his master a defiant glare. Though unfazed by this notion, Bookman had a vague inkling he would've reacted like that.

"You're wrong." Lavi muttered darkly, still keeping his eyes on the elder Bookman. The next words came out hotly. "Rue hasn't affected me a bit!"

"Then, why are you reacting like this? It's almost as if you're defending her, Lavi."

This cowed Lavi into stunned silence, instantly quieting him. To Bookman, it looked like he hit bulls-eye.

"You see? You have gotten attached to her, after all. How much, I don't know, but it's really obvious."

"And what if I am?" Lavi challenged calmly, unwavering. The next sentence went to the bottom line, ready to set off a detonation. "Even if I am attached to Rue, that's none of your business in the first place!"

At this, Bookman couldn't take it anymore, unable to hold back his exchange of cutting remarks.

"Don't tell me it's none of my business when it obviously is! You're the successor to Bookman and you know we have no need for attachment! Have you forgotten your goal?"

"You don't understand what I've just said, do you? I told you I haven't forgotten my goal at all! I've been under training as a Bookman for twelve years now, what makes you think I've forgotten all the things I've been through? Being a Bookman is still a dream to me!"

"Then, what's more important to you? Becoming a Bookman or getting involved with the Black Order and Marucut? Answer me!"

By now, they ran out of words to say, panting out their exhaustion and exasperation and gave each other poisonous glares. Fortunately, before the verbal assault could escalate to any more disastrous results, this was when Mahoja chose to walk in.

"Bookman, Lavi! You're needed on deck! Looks like we got Akuma heading our way."

" We'll be there shortly." Bookman called back with a calm voice, seeing her nod and turning back to go on deck. Shortly, he turned to Lavi to give him quite a glare, warning him with a voice that was barely disguising its anger. "This isn't over yet, Lavi. Do as I say. When you cross paths with Marucut again, detach yourself from her. I mean it."

He brushed past his grandson, putting an end to the conversation, leaving him alone in the room. As he heard the older man's footsteps fading away, the Bookman apprentice gritted his teeth, feeling his frustrated discontent building up.

_Well? What will you do now? _Deak asked quietly from the back of his mind. _The old man's serious. _

There was no answer from him. Lavi didn't seem to hear Deak; instead, he was recalling everyone's faces from the Black Order, memories of them playing into his mind. While part of him will have to deny it due to his duties, it was obvious that he just couldn't give them up that easily. For two years, he had been in the Black Order and made so many memories with many people there. There was no way he would give up on them just like that.

Including her; most especially her. He couldn't give up on Rue either.

The alter ego made a quiet noise; from what it sounded like, he was sighing. Then, a dry chuckle came out from Deak.

_Then, what are you going to do now?_

No answer came from Lavi again, still recalling and still thinking on what to do. Then, he finally made up his mind, a determined, passive expression in his eye.

_Then, I guess I have no choice. I've to be serious about it this time.

* * *

_

Hitomi: Done. Finally!

This chapter… Was not how I intended it to be. Originally, Rue was supposed to be traveling around with the Tiedoll unit after Daisya died, but I sent all of them back to Black Order HQ to rest (and to get their new uniforms).

I'm guessing you're wondering why I didn't introduce Rue to her siblings, who are now in the Black Order… Well, wouldn't want Jericho and Claire to find their sister like that, eh? After all, they don't know about her assassin life when they were separated years ago. So, might as well have Rue get these awful feelings out of her chest first before reuniting the siblings again.

Looks like Komui and General Tiedoll sense Rue's changing from Daisya's death… How much of the change they're wary of, only a hint of it. They really have no idea of the dark thoughts she's thinking of (well, Komui would, considering Rue's interrogation about Tyki…).

As for the conversation between Allen and Rue, I know I didn't describe their emotions on how they're communicating with each other. But, it shows how close they are now, the way they talk now, huh? After all, Rue can't bear to lose Allen too when Daisya's death is already slowly sending her to insanity…

Right, I have to develop on how Rue's taking Daisya's death and Allen's almost dying by the same culprit, Tyki. Originally, I was supposed to show how she changed when traveling with the Tiedoll unit, but, again, I had them rest in Black Order HQ. But, it really would have you question more how much more can Rue bottle this up…

And then, there's Lavi and Bookman fighting in regards of Lavi slowly straying away from his Bookman goals… Oh no, Lavi, what are you thinking at the end of the chapter? Could it be you'll distant yourself from Rue again, after making a promise to her about what happened in Germany on the Krory mission? This won't bode well…

I hope you guys enjoyed this! Wish me good luck in school on Monday (hectic schedule again; eight subjects and a Monday through Saturday schedule AGAIN!) and keep your eyes peeled for the nexr chapter!


	38. Swaying at the Edge

Hitomi: Here we go again! Well, guess it looks like I have some motivation to write and the writer's block has lifted a little. Maybe it's because we don't have that much workload in school yet. So, I suppose this is another update?

Well, I suppose the writer's block still remains because I've no idea how I'm going to develop the story at this point since they really don't get into what happened to the Tiedoll unit on their way to Edo while the Cross unit already got there first. Then again, I did give some sort of hint that Rue's dark intentions will show through, so… And, oh… There is a little surprise in this chapter, though I can't exactly say since you need to read it yourself. But, it does concern the Tiedoll unit.

As always, thank you for your feedback and support. I hope I haven't disappointed you guys up to now!

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

* * *

**Unravel**

**XXXVIII**

**Swaying at the Edge**

「_Undo, undo, undo._

_Slowly, I'm giving into it._

_I don't know if I'll be able to come back._

_But, all I know is it's do or die._」_

* * *

_

A clash of metal and rock echoed into the rainy, dark setting. Then, following it was metal against metal. The summoning of magic can be heard, their glowing auras seen in the still black sky, hits and misses flying everywhere.

As usual, it was early morning. They always seemed to be up around these ungodly hours because, abnormal as it was for the majority, it was like them to be up around this time.

"First Illusion: Hell's Insects!" A strong, confident voice called out from the darkness, Mugen within striking distance. But it had been temporarily blocked by a dagger, a whip of water flying from Lifeline soon after.

They knew better than that by now, backing away and trying not to get any wounds inflicted on themselves. Though they were battling seriously, they were trying not to give any serious injury to each other. Better to have minor wounds if any at all as they still had a mission to do.

It felt liberating to her, not using her new coat right now, feeling the water from above them wetting her skin. She needed it, she knew, she needed to feel that she was alive. This way, she could be able to learn on how use that element from _his _death to its full potential. Twirling her gloved hands, making a water ball with such concentration, she hurled it right at him with no hesitance. Though he had managed to fend it off with the help of Mugen, the force of the water was strong enough to push him back when he was really holding his ground.

It made him wonder why she decided to go with this in the first place. True, he had been training her for two years, but he never thought she would consider a spar in the early morning (then again, she was an early riser half the time), much less in the rain. To be honest, he was a little surprised that he found her already awake and alone (well, if you count that golem of hers) and training so early in the morning.

The way she was fighting right now… For one, he couldn't help but feel a little proud on how far she came to this current power. It had been a struggle for the both of them, her having a weak synchronization rate and him having been given the grueling task of training her, in the process of thinking of her as a nuisance because of her weakness, but they had pushed themselves to the limits to get to where they were now. Were it not for him, she wouldn't be able to handle herself now as a full-fledged Exorcist, though she had been very independent the moment he met her.

However, seeing her fight so hard, with such a dark glow in her eyes, made him feel a little… Uneasy. Scratch that, he felt really uneasy around her; ever since _that day_.

But why?

This was how she always was, right? Then, why did it felt different this time?

"…Enough training for today, shorty." Sheathing Mugen, he ordered this calmly, sensing that she might be tired by now. They had been training for two hours nonstop, no breaks whatsoever.

"…I'm afraid I can't comply with that, Kanda." She shot back coolly, positioning herself in a fighting stance again. Although there was no doubt that she was sweating, soaked to the bone in rainwater, and worn out from training, she wouldn't give up. She always came back for more. The stamina she had built up since her assassin training days—and when developing her Innocence since her new Exorcist days—made her unstoppable. She may have pushed herself beyond her limits because of it, but it all paid off now.

Kanda knew how Rue's demeanor was two years ago, but he felt that she was changing back to it once more… And possibly in a worse state than before. The mere thought made him so confused and, even if only briefly, left him with a heavy sense of dread. She was always like this, and he knew that, but…

Why was it so different that he couldn't figure it out? Maybe it could be that…

Disregarding such thoughts, he looked at her again. Now that he had observed closely, he saw that she wore a really familiar expression… One that left him stiff in shock.

Like looking into a mirror, the irony of it all.

"I said enough for today. What part of that don't you understand?" He growled, the words sharper than he intended because of feeling so unnerved by her. He really wasn't up to arguing with her at this time; how unsettlingly odd that was because that was what they usually did. They've done it ever since they first met: always exchanging hot and cold words, fueling their rivalry in the process, and giving them the motivation to outdo each other with their Innocence.

Why the sudden change?

"I told you I will not comply with it." She cut in with a huff, refusing to budge. She held up a dagger at her eye level with Deathtrap, her eyes dark with unspeakable but negative emotions.

She had spoken in a voice thick with an unreadable tone while Kanda listened warily. Was she angry? Frustrated? Weary? Desperate? What was it? Whatever it was, it didn't mean she was going to follow what he ordered. Unfortunately for him, there was no room for argument or compromise. She meant business on training (more than usual) and damn straight she was being stubborn about it.

"I need this… I really need this…" Rue continued quietly, clutching the dagger and Deathtrap in a death grip. "And if you can't understand that, well, I am more than capable to train alone. You can rest if you want, you know, I don't mind."

The look in her eyes really spoke volumes on what she was trying not to let out verbally. It held an expression that was raw with painful sincerity, despite how muddled it looked because she felt so many emotions at once. He didn't even feel offended when she offered to train alone and told him to rest; he just kept eyeing her, trying to figure out what she really felt for the past few days.

It was beyond anger and sadness, beyond being unforgiving, that reflected in her eyes. Rue looked like she lost a part of herself and, to Kanda, he felt that she really hated humanity so much. There seemed to be a sense of longing as well, one that gave the impression that she was constantly looking for something… Or someone that she lost. Then, he knew that particular feeling he couldn't place in her eyes just a moment ago: she was in so much pain that she couldn't voice it out at all.

Surely, he felt the same thing so clearly on the day when he lost Alma. And surely, in that unknown time, in those unknown memories, when he remembered _her_: the person that he promised to look for.

"Kanda…"

Snapping out of his reverie, Kanda looked at Rue thoughtfully, contemplating on what to do next. He already knew that she held back her grief for Daisya since the day he died the whole time; even when she had brushed it off and acted as she always did, he already knew, deep down, she was suffering. Just like Alma was close to Kanda, Daisya was close to Rue and they lost them. Even if the situations were different, Kanda felt now he could really relate to Rue about this.

Grief came in different forms and different ways, but it's still the same when feeling that awful sense of loss.

With that in mind, he took off his Exorcist coat and, as he was passing by her, he dumped the whole thing right on her head. Well, this was an unexpected gesture from him and she knew it. She looked over her shoulder to meet his eyes, her own wide with surprise and puzzlement. He was prepared for this and he knew what he was going to say, disregarding the contradicting emotions in his mind and heart.

"Che," he scoffed lightly, a steady, placid gaze meeting her bewildered look head-on. "I don't even know why you don't have your coat on, but you should, at least, keep yourself dry. The last thing I need is for you to slow me down by getting sick when we're on a mission with General Tiedoll. So, no going weak on me, shorty, or else."

To other people, it may sound like Kanda was insensitive and annoyed. It could be seen that way. But, to those who knew him well enough, they didn't believe he was all that bad. To Rue, she knew this as well, despite bickering with him constantly. And she already knew they were the same a long time ago, thanks to Lenalee; the only thing she didn't even know about Kanda was his killing off Alma because Kanda never confided in her about that.

"…Heh." Rue sighed, closing her eyes and concentrating more on the sound of his light footsteps from behind her. As she spoke, she reluctantly put on Kanda's long jacket, which, obviously, was too big for her to wear. Though it was useless because she was drenched, this was as close as a warm gesture she got out of Kanda, so she might as well take it while she still could. "You don't have to tell me that, I already know. That's why I wanted to spar with you now: so, I don't become weak."

Opening her eyes, she fully faced him, retreating and with his back turned to her. Peering into the distance, she saw a nearby tree and noticed he was going in that direction. He was going use that as a shield from the rain, now that he had no coat. And knowing him, he would be meditating like he always did.

"You're the only one I can rely on to make me stronger, Kanda. So… Please…"

Kanda stopped walking at once, his breath hitched sharply as he let the meaning of those words sink in. Hearing those words caught him by surprise for he never heard Rue said such a thing to him ever in all of her two years residing in the Black Order. Even then when he had been making her Innocence stronger, she was being hardheaded about it because she always relied on herself for her strength and he knew that she resented the fact that she was being trained by him, her rival, of all people.

But now, she said these words that, if he wasn't so stubborn about his emotions, would've made him happy and sad at the same time. There was no trace of malice or mockery in her statement. He knew that she was being honest about it and, truth be told, it shook him to the core. In midst of his shock and confusion, somewhere deep down and pass that obnoxious, obstinate pride he had in himself, a tiny part of him was… Scared.

For some reason or another that even he himself didn't know, Kanda Yuu was scared. Not scared _of _Rue Marucut, but _for _her. She had her pride, confidence, and independence, and yet, to hear her saying this…

When Kanda met Rue's face again, he almost swore under his breath once he saw it as it triggered his own memories of the Second Exorcist Project, Alma, and _her _replaying in his mind's eye. He saw the facial expression had changed to one of hardened resolve; however, the fragments of pain magnified in eyes that contradicted this; eyes that were dark with icy numbness, with absolutely no life in them. It was then he saw what she really felt just by looking in her eyes: He saw her bruised heart, bleeding wounds that steadily grew bigger instead of healing over time, and scars that etched deeply; he saw the darkness in her heart that bitterly reminded her she couldn't do anything right and was only useful as a weapon; and her fragile vulnerability that had been caught into a whirlwind of pain, loathing, and anger all at once.

She was condemning herself about everything and hating herself more for it every, single day. He could almost hear her inner voice screaming with raw anguish: "Why can't I do anything right?"

There was one other thing Kanda wouldn't admit when seeing her in this state: it cut him. It cut him deeply a lot more than he was ever willing to admit. But why? He wasn't supposed to care or feel for others, but yet—

"Please, make my Innocence stronger. For my sake… As well as…" He heard her voice dropping down to a whisper quaking with emotion. "Our 'brother's' sake…"

Right on the mark; by brother, she meant Daisya. As much as he was very stubborn about such notions, the lone swordsman refused to admit that Daisya was someone close to him like that. Even though he was annoying sometimes (ESPECIALLY when he was bored), boisterous, and cocky, it was painfully undeniable that Daisya was a vital person of the Tiedoll unit.

Now, Daisya was gone. He was gone just like that, claimed by the hands of Death, and never coming back.

From the back of Kanda's mind, there was a vague idea forming on why Rue was asking him this. Not wanting to jump to conclusions or to press into the matter, he knew that it was very important. But that small part of him couldn't help but still be afraid for her, for reasons unknown and beyond understanding.

Searching for the answer, it was then Kanda faintly recalled familiar words in his thoughts, going back around two years ago when Rue was still adjusting to the Black Order as a new Exorcist. What happened that time…? Right, it was after that embarrassing mission in Germany when he had to crossdress as a girl. As usual, they were arguing; but it had stopped dead as Rue said those words that made the atmosphere gone cold, those words that told him she was telling him a very painful truth:

_"…For your information, I'll be the one to kill you since, in case you haven't been told, I've been doing killing for a living. I don't mean Akuma this time either."_

So… They were really alike, after all. She was just like him, three years younger but nursing the same wounds: of losing someone dear, of being a weapon and a failure, of not knowing how to really live but only to fight for life at a constant basis, and of knowing with a painful and/or numb awareness that you were going to die young.

Why didn't Kanda realize it sooner? Or could it be that he knew, but he wasn't willing to accept the truth all of this time? Either way, now that the truth finally reached to him, he had no idea what to say to her now. After all, he wasn't the type to comfort people and, as far as he had his assumptions, neither was she.

But, there was one thing he knew he could do for her in his own way that she would understand. There was no other way to have her use her pain as strength other than this. This was the only way for her, him, for the both of them, to cope with the pain they've been through in all of their lives; perhaps, the reason why they were still living now.

"…An hour." Kanda finally spoke quietly after the long silence, having thought through long enough on what he had to do for her, his back still turned to her. Coming out of his memories and current musings, he resumed his walk to the tree for his meditation session.

"What?" Rue was startled at the sudden sound of his voice and was confused again, her eyebrows knitted into a slight frown.

"…You have a break for an hour. We'll train again after that."

oOo

They had been traveling around, making pit stops along the way, slowly making their way to Edo while trying to fulfill General Tiedoll's quest to find new Exorcists. Obviously, there was the fact that Akuma were going after them as well, ready to take down the Tiedoll unit to their early grave. At all costs, Kanda, Marie, and Rue were protecting their mentor, unleashing all kinds of Hell on their adversaries.

But while they continued on their journey, Rue was losing herself little by little in fighting, the only coping mechanism of Daisya's death she relied on. And even when they weren't fighting Akuma, she asked Kanda to train her, embracing her vengeance each passing day. On some days, by some scrap of sanity left in her, she would do other things to keep herself present like writing or drawing in the exchange diary. Relaxing with Marie and/or quietly staying by General Tiedoll's side when he sketched made her calm down (barely), but the loneliness that wafted in from time to time made her feel suffocated; of course, with _him _being gone, the team had gone considerately quiet and it just didn't feel the same to her anymore. During the times the Tiedoll unit would camp out instead of sleeping in an inn (due to the inconvenience of having no town nearby), because of her insomnia, Rue would be wide awake as she watched the stars like she always did. Every night, watching them until there were none left in the dark sky, and then she would get up and start training alone until Kanda woke up.

On their fifth day of travel (making it eight days since Daisya died), they were already in Bergen, Norway. By now, they were currently sidetracked on a quest. Someone begged them to get rid of Akuma in their town and, despite Kanda's disgruntled protests and Rue's slowly growing impatience on getting her share of Noah bloodshed, General Tiedoll and his pupils obliged to the matter.

It was raining again, dark gray clouds covering the sky as a serious downpour came upon them with the intention to drown the world. Now engaged in a gruesome battle, the Tiedoll unit was trying their best to finish it without sustaining serious injury. This would've gone well if there hadn't been difficult interferences AKA a few Lvl. 3 Akuma were involved in combat. Though injured and worn out in varying degrees, the Exorcists weren't going down without a fight.

"Double Illusion Blades!" Kanda commanded sharply, making Mugen's sheath into a blade as he dual wielded it and Mugen, hacking and slashing the weaker Akuma to bits.

"Verse of the Saint!" Marie called out loudly, wires from Noel Organon immobilizing the Akuma and music blasting through to destroy them. The wires alone were lethal weapons to begin with too, slicing though the Akuma effortlessly.

"Maker of Eden Art!" Because there were Lvl. 3 Akuma involved in the fray, General Tiedoll summoned giants from his Innocence. With their help, the Akuma numbers were greatly wiped out by and giving the Exorcists the upper hand in the battle.

Rue scoffed lightly, having a little difficulty taking down this many Akuma as she continued to receive injuries. But she kept going without any complaint and without stopping, manipulating the rain to her advantage with her Innocence and hurling water pillars at the Akuma. She also used air as a back up element since earth and fire wouldn't work in such a wet setting, slicing wind blades into the grotesque creatures.

"Damn…" Kanda fussed irritably, continuing to cut down a few Akuma down with Mugen, his gaze hardening at how the battle was faring so far. "There's a lot of Akuma here and we're supposed to be at Edo as soon as possible."

"Well, isn't it always like this?" Nearby was Marie, who said this with a short laugh as he was taking down multiple Akuma with Noel Organon, his hands pulling at the wires with a strong tug. "We're in this side quest because we're Exorcists, no matter what the circumstances are. Wherever Akuma go, we have to destroy them, regardless of us having a mission elsewhere. Besides General Tiedoll being the way he is, Akuma would've came after him, anyway, as he's an Exorcist-General."

The other male only grunted his agreement as a reply, unleashing Hell's Insects and letting them scatter around the vicinity to take their targets. The burly man had a point and, here, Kanda grew all the more annoyed since this was General Tiedoll's idea in the first place. They were supposed to protect him too because that was their mission once finding him, making this even more troublesome than it actually was.

So now, they really had to watch themselves and make sure General Tiedoll stayed alive on top of the Edo mission that still awaited them. Could it get any worse than this?

"Stay close to me, General Tiedoll." Rue ordered calmly, waving Deathtrap and Lifeline around in utmost concentration and forming water pillars from the rain, blasting them to the Akuma that were surrounding them. "I know you have your Innocence, but we can't afford to lose another General like what happened to General Yeegar let alone an Exorcist because there's only a handful of us in this war."

Chuckling softly, General Tiedoll continued to lend his assistance with his Innocence, all the while saying, "Though I should protect you too since most of the Exorcists are young. So, please don't handle this all on your own, Rue, and let me help you."

"…As you wish, General. But, do be careful."

Suddenly, it came so fast that nobody could've foreseen it. Before Rue registered what happened, a sharp pain emitted from her head and there had been a flash of blindingly white light. The next thing she knew, she looked around and saw the place had been deserted. However…

She found all three of her comrades on the ground, unmoving, a dark substance under their bodies. She couldn't bring herself to move to check up on them, but her blood turned cold. Then, a voice was heard.

"You see this? This was your entire fault."

That voice. Rue slowly looked up, fearing the worse, and her eyes widened to see _him _in front of her. But somehow, it didn't look right. She couldn't see his eyes, but that grin he had on his face felt wrong, really wrong.

And then, they made contact.

Dark brown eyes and that horrible smile on his face, a familiar sound of a bell echoing in the silent, desolate place.

"You couldn't even save me… Rue."

A hoarse scream ripped from her throat and everything went white again.

Thunder struck loudly at the same time and the remaining three Exorcists turned to the general direction when they heard their last companion screaming.

"The shorty…?" Kanda was the one to hear it first, running over there with Mugen gripped tightly in his hand.

"Rue's in trouble!" General Tiedoll cried out and followed suit, Marie not too far behind.

By the time they got there, thunder struck again and made everything go white. Then, in the midst of the light, they saw it.

Rue was confronted with an Akuma that looked just like their dead comrade, from the Exorcist uniform down pat to the Charity Bell. And she was fighting with _him _non-stop, aiming one blow after the other. But that wasn't what made them frozen to the ground. It was what they saw, concerning Rue.

Her eyes looked darker than before, an unreadable expression on her face. Certainly, she was showing she was alive by moving and all, but it didn't look right. Her movements were erratic and destructive and she didn't care what consequences came to her from this. All she wanted was end all of this. Deathtrap and Lifeline were glowing an ominous purple, a zapping sound heard, giving blow after blow to the Akuma.

"What did you do?" Kanda snarled to the Akuma, Mugen ready to strike him down.

"How could you ask me such a question, Kanda? That's hurtful to ask because I'm your comrade." "Daisya" chuckled darkly, the grin on his face widening more, dodging Rue's attacks with ease. "I did no harm. All I wanted was to greet you guys and Rue here is acting like she's seeing a ghost. Or maybe I wanted to remind her of the one thing she couldn't do. So now, she can't hear all of you because she is aiming at me.

"She is not the Rue you know. Take a very good look."

Looking as best they could, they saw it with their own eyes. The expression on her face was one of murderous fury, eyes that saw nothing but blood and darkness.

"That is Rafale you're seeing right now."

_I won't have you mock me! _Rue's thoughts were screaming this, a murderous fury taking total control of her. _I won't let you mock me just because you're wearing my comrade's face! _

_ I'll kill you!_

oOo

Meanwhile, on the way to Edo, there had been an Akuma raid for the Cross unit. So many Akuma had been battling it out with the Exorcists and, currently, the Lvl. 3 Akuma, Eshi, had sunken the ship underwater.

It wasn't only Rue who was struggling with herself that night. Lenalee, too, was dealing with her own troubles in the battle as she clashed with Eshi head-on. But Eshi had the upper hand with his gravity control. Lenalee, who should've been floating on water because of the Dark Boots' technique, was now tied down by Eshi's gravity chains, trying to free herself from it and the ocean's dark depths.

But, even so, she wasn't going to give up. Having recalled the memory between her and Allen upon the aftermath of getting Krory, there was no way she could just die here.

_If there is nobody left, even if the world is saved, I will be destroyed. _Lenalee thought bleakly, having already embraced the fact that her friends in the Black Order made up the world and she cared more about them than the rest of humanity itself. _So, please don't die. Please, don't go away anymore. For that, I… I…_

"Ahhh?" From above the dark depths, Eshi drawled out thoughtfully, amused by the whole thing. "Are you struggling?"

Then, he sensed it. He sensed that she was still alive.

"Ah… Good girl. Come on up. I'll sink you deeper this time."

Responding to her thoughts, Lenalee's Innocence began glowing and materializing around her. Although her words couldn't be heard because of being underwater, she still said them.

"Innocence! Invoking maximum power! Release!"

Though still surrounded by Eshi's chains, they weren't trapping her anymore. As she zoomed her way up, Lenalee was thinking on what to do next and what she felt.

_Eshi's Dark Matter has the power to control gravity. Once caught, there is no escape. But since Dark Matter and Innocence are polar opposites, by releasing my Innocence, I should be able to temporarily cancel his ability out._

_ Allen… I'm scared. For Suman's sake, you forcibly released your Innocence too, right? My synchro rate is 86%. We're not supposed to do this unless we're 100% synchro rate… Now, to find out the consequences…_

Lenalee resurfaced, the swirling vortex signaling Eshi of her arrival. With an evil laughed, he cried out, "Welcome back!"

She flipped, making her stance and going in for the kill.

_My Innocence isn't part of my body like yours. But, even so, for the sake of my world…_

"I will… Take you out here and now!" She declared, zooming in to go with her resolve.

And so, it began. It was still a struggle for her to move since she was still tied down, but she was still able to give damage. Giving a solid kick to Eshi's face, Lenalee recovered herself, panting. Having enough, Eshi grabbed her wrist and told her, "It's over, girl. With my canceling abilities, you can barely even move. Eshi's body has now evolved into a close combat type. You cannot damage it."

"Close combat type…" It seemed as if she was almost talking to herself. "There are types of Lvl. 3 Akuma…?"

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"I see…" Now, she found her conclusion, already thinking of a plan to defeat Eshi. "So, you're just one of the more stubborn types. I get it now."

_Lavi… When I got back to the ship, I was going to apologize. Allen, you've suffered so much yet you're always looking out for me, thank you. I really shouldn't have borrowed this… Anita's precious hairband… Allen, I… I know you'll come back to us, that's what I've decided to believe in. _

"So, Eshi is the stubborn type. Is that what you said…?"

A small, weak smile was aimed at the Akuma who held her still.

"Who knows?"

Markings were shown all over her body, even on her face.

"What are you doing?" Eshi asked suspiciously, noticing the marks.

_So… These are the consequences… _Lenalee noted. _They're showing up sooner than I expected…_

"I'm breaking…" She answered him, an unreadable look on her face.

"You musn't despair." He told her with a dark grin. "Killing is more fun when they're still squirming."

Looking at him straight in the eye, she told him determinedly with a tiny smile, "That… Won't happen. Because YOU will be the one to die first."

* * *

Hitomi: I know. *there's a small frown on her face* I know, the chapter was lame. *SHOT*

But I really had no other way to end the chapter on Rue's side. Originally, I was going to have her seem possessed (AKA by her Innocence), but I decided to save that later for the Ark arc because I already have everything planned out from there, concerning a certain Noah. *coughTykicough* Now, I am wondering how I'll end the Tiedoll unit's side of the Edo arc next chapter because let's just say Rue's not even at her breaking point.

"Seriously?" You ask. Yeah, seriously. Her fury for Tyki had finally came out, but she's ALMOST breaking away at her insanity. And that'll be during the Ark arc.

And did you see the surprise I gave you guys? Yep, obviously, Kanda and Rue's relationship changed a little after Daisya died. And it seems that he's helping her fulfill her revenge for Daisya, whether he's aware of it or not.

XD And I know. No mention of Lavi on the Cross unit's side except in Lenalee's thoughts. But, what can I do? You know what he thought of last chapter, so I'm pretty sure this is a sign that it's serious that he plans to be indifferent to Rue again. But, how will it turn out when the two meet? Oh, who knows?

And so, it ends like this. T.T I think this may be my worst chapter yet since the writer's block is still there. I hope you guys aren't disappointed about this.


	39. Deep Dive

Hitomi: All right! It's time to let things continue on as they are. As you noticed from last chapter, Rue's dark side is starting to resurface. And from you've read, seems that she unlocked another element. Nope, not yet. That element hasn't awakened to its full potential yet. You'll see why when you start to read this chapter.

As always, thank you very much for your constant support. I don't think I can ever say that enough, but it's true. I never thought I'd be writing so far in a story (almost forty chapters, wow!) and never thought I'd have a lot of people who would read and appreciate the story as it is, despite my little imperfections and mistakes (and since I aim on being a writer, this is just a way for me to improve more).

So now, it's time to start and see what happens. Prepare to be a little confused in the beginning, though, since it's a change of setting for the Tiedoll unit. It'll be stated why as you read along.

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

* * *

_There was nothing but black that surrounded her. Nothing but the cold, overpowering darkness suffocating all of her five senses._

_She was three in this place, this much she knew as she noticed her hair was long now and, in a fragment of a memory from a life she vaguely remembered, she was still innocent. She was still unmarked, pure, before red had stained her. If she was within her present state of mind, she would've felt a self-loathing towards this past self for that she was crying; this weak, fragile, innocent self that she could never go back to. _

_Huddled onto the cold, black floor, she was crying her eyes out. Out of loneliness, out of sadness, and out of fear, the tears wouldn't stop falling._

"_I'm alone…" She whimpered softly, continuing on in sobs that racked her body. She still made out the blackness of the void, despite her blurry vision. "I'm alone and I don't know what to do…"_

_Fear gripped her in the heart for she had no idea what would come out of this place. For all she knew, someone or something would attack her out of nowhere and let her die without remorse. She wanted to move, but she couldn't. Being afraid and feeling she had nowhere to go held her down to the ground._

_She wasn't aware of footsteps that softly approached her nor had she noticed there was light within this black abyss. It would've helped her to see it right now to have some sort of hope, but one wondered how she would really react._

_Unaware, she felt someone had picked her up from behind. And although fear had made her jumpy, she dared to take a look at the stranger first before making any sudden movements._

"_Eh…?" She whipped her head around, meeting the face of a nineteen-year-old male who was emitting a soft light. _

_He was wearing strange monochrome clothes, reminding her of a court jester she heard of in fairytales concerning royalty. Peering at his face, she made note of some details that stood out: bandages wrapped around his forehead and the sides of his face and two purple marks under the eyes. Because of the light he was giving off, she could see clearly a peek of brown hair under his cowl. The strangest part was the look he was giving her with those oddly familiar dark brown eyes: a kind, warm look that told her he knew her but she had no idea how._

_After all, she hadn't met this person before in her life… Right?_

_But, somehow, she felt that she could trust him. All she needed was some sort of affirmation._

_Wiping her tears with her hands (though they wouldn't stop), she hiccupped her question, "Wh-Who are you?"_

_Fondly ruffling her hair, the teen smiled at her. Again, that feeling of familiarity still stuck to her about the boy but she still had no clue._

"_I'm Daisya Barry." The boy introduced himself, petting her head to calm her down from whatever negativity she had. "And I'm your guardian angel, kiddo."_

_Three-year-old Rue sniffled, studying Daisya warily. Then, out of relief (and maybe something else?), fresh tears welled up in her eyes and she said nothing, clinging to him as tightly as she could. She buried her face into his shoulder, feeling safe with this boy that called himself her guardian angel. His body warmth soothed her and she couldn't help but cry about it._

_He was expecting this sort of reaction out of her, so he didn't mind. He didn't need to say anything to make her feel better, he just needed to be there for her. _

_Yes, just like old times._

_Still caressing her hair to reassure her, he had a softened expression on his face that crossed between warmth and sadness. Even in her dreams, even being her younger self, she still searched for him. And being her younger self meant, to him, that she was vulnerable without him. If he had known this was how she was going to suffer, he shouldn't have left her behind._

_Holding onto her with a warm hug, Daisya whispered tenderly, "Let's go home together… Rue. And even if I'm not there in the present with you anymore… I'll always be by your side, just like this. No matter where you go and no matter what you do, I love you, kid. So… I hope you'll be able to find your happiness, even if I'm no longer with you."

* * *

_

**Unravel**

**XXXIX**

**Deep Dive**

「_On these days, they all took a leap_

_Forward to reach their goals._

_But one of them had to do this in order to succumb further_

_In the darkness of their heart…_」_

* * *

_

Closed eyes with long lashes fluttered open, meeting with reality face-to-face. Greeting her was darkness once more; this time, however, it was dimly lit by the moonlight pouring in from the windows.

_Only… A dream. _The real Rue concluded with an ache in her heart. _Only a dream, but… Was _he _trying to send me a message from the afterlife too? Because it definitely felt like it, judging from his words._

She stopped having these thoughts once it sunk in that it was night right now. This realization made her frown in confusion.

_Wait a minute… Night time? I thought it was day. How…? _

It also occurred to her that she was in an unfamiliar bed, seeing that she was still in blankets and her head was resting onto a soft pillow. Stranger still was the salty scent that lingered in the air as well as the soft splashes of water that came along with it. Then, there was also the occasional creaking of wood.

_Where am I? And where's everyone else? _Concentrating on the noises, and breathing in the salty air, she reached a plausible conclusion. _We're… At sea?_

As she attempted to lift her head to look out the window, she felt a wave of dizziness taking over her. Feeling her body was very hot, she brought one of her hands up to feel her forehead and neck, assessing she had a fever. Swallowing didn't exactly help either as she discovered the hard way that she had a sore throat.

_What…? _Now, she frowned even more, holding back the strong urge to cough._ How… How did I get sick? The last thing I remember is…_

Mentally straining herself to think, Rue found that she hardly remembered what happened in the Norway skirmish. The only thing that came clear to her of that time was when the Akuma who looked like _him_ confronted her. After that, nothing else came to mind.

All the more befuddled, she kept thinking to yet another conclusion.

_Since I am on a bed right now and we're someplace else other than Norway… The only thing I can possibly think of on how it came to this is that I must've been knocked out in battle. For how long and how it happened, it looks like the questions will have to wait._

She tested her weight to get up from the bed, as if to find out what the battle's aftermath was. Unfortunately, an excruciating pain shot up and spread all over her body, making her curse under her breath. Whatever happened that caused her to be like this must've been quite rough. What extremely bad luck this was, being in physical pain and sick. Oh joy.

Defeated, Rue fell back on the bed with a thud as the pain made her feel weaker than she usually would be. A bitter chuckle escaped from her hoarse throat, having not felt like this for a long time. Now that she was reliving this again, she resented it anew as self-loathing mingled with uselessness.

_Damn it. _She cursed again, clenching a tight fist. _Feeling like this is reminding me of the old days. The old days of__—_

Cutting herself off at mid-thought, it finally took her long enough to realize she wasn't the only one present in the room. So to be cautious with her physical pain, and that it was all she could manage in movement, she craned her head slightly. Her temporary impaired vision couldn't fool her from what she saw.

Next to her bedside was a chair; not just any person sat on it, no, it was a sleeping **Kanda **occupying it. A sheathed Mugen was on his lap at the moment, his sword hand gripping tightly on the hilt while the other on the sheath itself. It was strange to see him like that for it was very rare that he parted the Innocence from his side. From his posture and what he intended to do if the circumstances came down to it, it was to make a fast preparation to take Mugen out and destroy the enemy before it can make its move.

But why? Was it to actually **protect **Rue from Akuma because of her current condition?

_Kanda…? _Confusion and surprise blended together from within as this was so strange for the blonde. _General Tiedoll or Marie being by my side is understandable, but… Kanda? Didn't he say to me a few days ago that the last thing he needed was for me to get sick or else I'll slow him down? But he's been taking care of me for the past couple of days I've been unconscious? I can already tell, he looks a lot more tired than he ever would be in an Akuma battle and I see eye bags._

_Then, why…?_

Her pondering had been cut off as wooziness pounded in her head to the point it became a headache. Closing her eyes, trying to block out the pain, there was one thing she could say about this bizarre occurrence.

_Thank you, Kanda… For being with me when I least expect it._

Surprisingly, it didn't take her long to fall into a well-deserved rest. With her being in such a condition, she could only put up with it for so long and she was already past her limit. It was also possible she broke out from her insomniac cycle, but one could only hope.

From time to time, Rue burst forth violent coughs in her sleep, her breathing heavy and ragged with an urgent need to take in a lot of oxygen. Awake from this, Kanda cracked one eye open and saw Rue's face flushed and distorted in pain, a bead of perspiration falling from her temple. Reluctantly, he brought forward a hand to gauge her fever. She was burning up from his touch and he frowned at this.

Getting up, he removed the wash cloth from her forehead and went away for a moment. His footsteps as quick and quiet as they could be, he wrung out the wash cloth in the nearby sink, tossing it in a basket. Opening a cupboard, he got out another face towel and folded it vertically, rinsing it with cold water. Wringing out the excess, he went back to Rue's bedside to place it on top of her forehead.

Settling back down in his chair and placing Mugen back onto his lap, Kanda gave the sleeping Rue an unreadable but watchful look for a long time. It made him angry to see her suffer like this but, for whatever reason, it was hard to say why. Kanda, being Kanda, was slightly taken aback he was feeling like this for the shorty. And it was hard for him to understand why since Kanda was quite unsure himself.

Could it be that truth about he and Rue being the same changed him, even if only a little bit?

"Shorty… You better not stay like this…" Kanda mumbled quietly, and even somewhat grumpily, as he let sleep take over his senses again. But a thought or two couldn't help but voice out, regarding his teammate.

_Idiot tomboy… If you stay weak like this, as your rival, I'll never forgive you. I've trained your ass off for over a year to get you to where you are now, so don't wimp out on me now._

_Get up soon, so you can become stronger again… And I still need to train you, anyway._

oOo

When Rue woke up again, she definitely concluded once and for all that her unit was at sea. Aside from the sound of waves, she heard seagulls crying out in the beautiful blue sky. Carefully, she sat up, keeping her face neutral to hide the pain that stubbornly remained. The good thing was she didn't feel all that sick anymore but some symptoms still remained.

Looking out the window, she saw lots of blue, thanks to the sky and the ocean. No islands were nearby, which meant that they had been sailing for some time. Perhaps, they were on their way to Edo now.

From the corner of her eye, she saw the chair at her bedside was empty, obviously telling her that Kanda was up. Replacing him were her clothes and Exorcist coat folded neatly, stacked up on top of each other. Whether it was him or her other comrades who did this, she had no clue but she was grateful for it. What caught her eye was the piece of paper on top of the cloth pile.

Taking the paper in her hands and unfolding it, she met a familiar scrawl.

_If you're wondering where we are, we're at the deck. Take your time coming here since we know you're still sick. But, do hurry! Your food will get cold! _

_-General Tiedoll_

A light sigh escaped from Rue as she shook her head fondly at her mentor's note. Swinging her legs to the floor and grabbing her clothes, she made her way to the bathroom. It was about time she got a decent bath, anyway.

oOo

Refreshed from her well-needed bath and into her clothes, Rue made her way to the ship deck. Sure enough, she found General Tiedoll, Kanda, and Marie eating their meals, reserving an empty seat just for her. With no hesitation, she went to the table, promptly sitting in her chair. All turned to her, each having a familiar look on their faces.

"Good morning, daughter!" Tiedoll remarked fondly, smiling at her as he watched her grab a plate and the needed utensils. Likewise, Marie gave her a greeting while Kanda nodded in silent acknowledgment. "Glad to have you with us again. You sure gave us quite a scare for the past few days."

She could tell that the Exorcist-General had not been sleeping well due to the eye bags he had. Guiltily, she replied quietly, "Morning, General Tiedoll, Marie, and Kanda… Sorry for troubling you about my health…"

"Of course not!" General Tiedoll patted her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "You're not a burden, Rue. You are part of this team and we're family. So, we have every right to worry about your well-being."

"But…"

"He's right, Rue." Marie reassured her, giving her a slight smile. "You're not only an Exorcist, but you're our family. So, don't worry about it."

Before she could make any more rebuttals, a large bowl of onion gratin soup was pushed into her direction. All surprised eyes turned to Kanda, who had a blank face on.

"Eat, shorty. I made that soup just for you, so you better eat all of it." He told her in a calm, quiet voice. His face gave away nothing, especially on the fact he was the one who took care of her for the past few days. With a scowl, however, he shot General Tiedoll and Marie annoyed glares. "What? Is it wrong to pass someone food when they're far out of reach from it?"

"No, but…" By General Tiedoll's tone of voice, you could tell there was a hint of a smile as he spoke, obviously touched by the exchange between the two who never got along. "Now I figured out why you took long in the kitchen earlier, all the while insisting you wanted to make onion gratin soup and asking me instructions on how to prepare it. Wonderful, Kanda, you're looking out for your younger sister, after all!"

"A nice change of pace." Marie commented gently, also smiling at this before going back to eating his meal.

With a final glower, Kanda averted his gaze from both men and "tch"ed loudly, resuming to eat soba he cooked for himself to officially end the discussion. Rue only marveled at his subtle way of consideration, relishing the taste of onion and cheese in hot soup.

_Not bad for soup at all. _She noted with amazement, enjoying the soup. _Kanda can really cook if he tries, although he's still no match for Jerry. He… He really was that worried about me? Both he and General Tiedoll knew onion gratin soup is one of my favorite dishes… _

Occasionally while eating, she took glances at her rival, obviously seeing him in a new light.

_Lenalee was right all along… Thank you, Kanda, for everything. Even if we still bicker and quarrel from time to time, I… I still respect you for a lot of things, so…_

_Let's watch each other's backs. And make sure that the Noah and the Akuma get what they deserve for doing this to our team and to the Black Order._

oOo

They finally arrived to their destination after traveling on sea for so long. Before they made their way on land, the whole Tiedoll unit wore cloaks over their Exorcist coats in order to disguise themselves. Because this was the Millennium Earl's base, it was extremely treacherous territory to be caught by Akuma, so they proceeded with extra caution.

Rue was still out of sorts, so she ended up being carried on Marie's back for the meantime. All the while, her team slowly filled in her memory gap with details of what happened between the battle of Norway and now. Apparently, from what they told her about it, they ended up battling the Akuma who looked like _him _when she had pushed herself to the limits of fighting the Akuma alone_. _Then, after he had been defeated, Rue fainted immediately. She had been knocked out for about a week or so and became sick in the process. Needless to say, Kanda had taken up the task of taking care of her. They had set sail to Edo when they arrived in Russia when she was still unconscious, hence Rue's confusion on the sudden change of setting.

They deliberately left out certain details for, though, they were all taken aback when she told them she had no idea what happened to her that time.

"So, you don't remember anything at all?" Marie asked quietly, surprised at her question.

"Yeah," Rue replied coolly, rubbing her temples in frustration about it. "Every time I try to recall what happened, my head starts to hurt. Or my mind really doesn't recall the memory at all. The only thing I even recall from that battle was when I confronted an Akuma that looked like… _Him_. After that, I keep drawing blanks."

At this statement, General Tiedoll and Kanda exchanged looks behind the other two's backs. This was a strange occurrence. Even under dire situations, Rue never forgot anything that happened in a day. So, they felt uneasy at this piece of news.

_The Akuma's physical appearance may've contributed to her trauma of Daisya's death. _General Tiedoll thought warily, concerned eyes locked on Rue's back. _Perhaps, this is the case of amnesia by trauma and that's plausible._

_However, _Kanda was on the same wavelength as his mentor, frowning in thought as a strange feeling filled up his gut. _Something's not right. That time when the shorty confronted that Akuma… The look in her eyes sought out for blood, I would know. Seeing her battle like that before we intervened…_

A chill went down General Tiedoll's, Kanda's, and Marie's spines when thinking back on those few days ago. The look in Rue's eyes in the Norway battle was something left engraved in their minds. How could they forget those eyes that held no life in them, an expression that told them that she was beyond anger and being unforgiveable?

The icy words she uttered were still haunting them, left in the wake of their minds for them to draw their own conclusions:

"_Don't you have any decency for the deceased, you piece of trash?" A dark chuckle escaped its way from the pocket of her throat as she asked this rhetorically, the ominous violet aura glowing and the zaps getting louder. A sarcastic, bitter tone manipulated around her next words, "Oh, why am I even bothering to ask this when the answer's already obvious? You're an Akuma, a creature that only causes misfortune and suffering of others and the destruction of the world for the Noah family's, including your precious Millennium Earl's, benefit. I'll make you pay in blood for wearing _his _face."_

"_Rue, don't__—__" Alas, for General Tiedoll, his pleas fell upon deaf ears. Marie was at a loss of what to do and even Kanda felt that he couldn't do anything in this situation. They all knew she took Daisya's death hard, so it's no surprise she was like this now. Even when Kanda tried to interfere with Mugen armed and ready, Rue stopped him in his tracks with what she said._

"_Kanda," she acknowledged him without turning around to meet his face, lifeless eyes still boring holes through the Akuma. "I don't want you or any others to interfere. __We already lost one member… And we don't need any more casualties.__ I… I don't want anyone to get hurt. While this is our duty as Exorcists… We won't go down without a fight. So please, don't step in unless you really need to because this is something I need to deal with myself. I__… I **promised him**__.__"_

_Although they wanted to protest, they knew Rue wasn't fooling around (especially when she did promise **him**). Of course, she was quite stubborn, so there was no use arguing for whatever she said was final. Tightening the red cloak around her neck and shrouding her nose and lips in the red cloth, she got ready into an offensive position. _

"_And besides…" Her final words before preparing to take off in battle had disturbed them. "It's not like this is really Rue you're talking to. At least__… Not really, anyway__… __"_

_And without waiting for them to react to that, she sped off to take down the Akuma._

Up to now, they had no idea what she meant by that. And since Rue didn't remember anything concerning the battle, it was best not to ask.

As the Tiedoll unit headed deeper into Edo, it was finally the time that General Tiedoll had to ask.

"Marie," he asked quietly, breaking the silence. "What can your ears perceive? From over there?"

He was talking about the distance that was a little further in front of them. Though they couldn't tell exactly what was going on, it looked like a conflict was starting. And the giant figures in the distance looked like giant Akuma. Kanda stayed silent, looking ahead with an unreadable look. Rue, sensing that they were going to go in battle, jumped off from Marie's shoulders and landed on the ground, getting up immediately after the impact.

With Noel Organon activated, Marie replied calmly, "Among the noise of the Akuma's large mechanic screeches… I can faintly hear Lenalee… Lavi… And voices belonging to the rest of Cross's squad."

"Okay…" There was an odd look on their General's face, his smile look a little more mysterious than his usual, jolly one. "Go to them."

Giving their leader a meaningful look, the three Exorcists ran off at breakneck speed.

_This is it… _Rue mused grimly, her already sharp gaze focusing into a sharper grimace and feeling the adrenaline and bloodlust surging through her. Body aches and a bit of sickness aside, she ignored such and began keeping her focus on this task, the task she had wanted to do for so long. _It's time to stain my hands red._

_Daisya… I will keep my promise to you, no matter what. And I'll make sure that… I don't die. I'll live… For the both of us. Even if fulfilling my revenge means surrendering to the darkness.

* * *

_

Hitomi: DUN DUN DUUUUUN! Oh boy… After putting this off for so long, I'm finally done!

Sorry that I've been putting this off for so long. School's been pretty hectic to the point it's been keeping me so stressed, busy, and upset. And yet, this is my third day in a row writing this chapter. I think the stress has finally gotten to me and I can't stand this overwhelming pressure.

Now you know why I changed the setting compared to Chapter 38, so I don't need to elaborate. Although if you're wondering what happened to Rue in the Norway battle, from the flashback snippet and stuff… I guess you'll see. Hehe, didn't expect more Kanda/Rue development, eh? Well, while they're still rivals, they still see each other siblings (even if they're so hard-headed to admit it), so I wanted to show this. And about the dream with Daisya in it… I guess you can say that really is his message from the afterlife. Though, I suppose, it's to your own interpretation.

With Rue going in too deep in revenge, she's not even thinking about Lavi at the moment either. Though it really makes you wonder what'll happen when she sees him during the Edo/Ark saga, especially since he's decided to take his Bookman duties seriously this time.

I thank all of you guys for your reviews for Chapter 38 (of course, I still thank you guys for supporting the story up to now!) but I want to gives my thanks to an anonymous reviewer, One who wants to read more, because he/she had somehow snapped me out of my stress and gave me encouragement to keep writing in his/her review. So, because of you, I was able to write this! I hope you give me feedback on this chapter too (XD although I just hope you bookmarked the story or something)! Man, I have to do review responses again when I have time…

Anyway, I hope all of you enjoyed this chapter (and I hope it wasn't boring)! There's a likely chance I won't be able to update for a while again (especially when it's midterms time next week), so look forward to the next chapter, whenever that will be!

Oh my, going on Chapter 40 already? I hope I can do my best writing it!


	40. A Reunion of Changes

Hitomi: I've been holding this chapter off for far too long and I'm sorry to keep you guys waiting. Things have been busy here for me in terms of taking down my practicum hours (taking up practicum is a graduation requirements, have to finish 300 hours; either dividing 150 hours between two different companies or divide 150 hours each in one company but working in two different departments in said-company), mostly. Since my "work" is from 8 AM to 5 PM, I think you already know how tired I would be. And things will get even busier for me since school starts on June 13th (I got a Monday to Thursday schedule this time) and I'll be finishing what remains of my practicum every Friday since that's my only day off (aside from weekends) from school.

So yes, updates will continue being… Sporadic, for the lack of a better term. I'm letting you know this ahead of time and I'm sorry again.

Ugh, don't even get me started on how a huge pain writer's block has become (also another reason why I haven't been updating Unravel). T.T Makes me feel sad that I've just gotten back into the writing groove when it's already past Unravel's 2nd year anniversary (which was at the end of May). So yeah, I'll make it up to you guys with this chapter… And a one-shot piece of Lavi and Rue that I've in mind. *won't say yet until the end of this chapter*

As always, thank you very much for the support you've given me up to now. I am possibly deciding on responding to your reviews in my journal instead of here since I feel it'll make the chapter drag on a lot more than necessary. That's also when I start to talk about chapters, what I've thought as I was writing it, and giving explanations on what I did in this chapter on why it turned out like this. What do you think? Is that okay? And again, that goes for talking about the chapter itself (and future ones) too.

Having said that, I really thank you for the support and feedback. Even though I haven't updated for months, I get touched when someone unexpectedly drops a review and I get cheered up from that. And somehow, because of that and somehow getting inspiration for DGM, I am working on Unravel again! Thank you, guys, it's more than appreciated than words can ever say.

Here we go~ I still find it hard to believe it's Chapter 40, honestly, but I'm happy I've come this far in the story. Thanks for sticking with me this far, guys! Let's go!

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

* * *

**Unravel**

**XL**

**A Reunion of Changes**

「_In some ways, we're still the same,_

_But what we've been through will make us different little by little_

_As change is inevitable._

_For better or worse depends on how we take it_

_And how the people in our lives would be affected_.」

* * *

_All of this… _Rue thought with a calculating gaze, looking around at the scenery before her. This particular part of Edo was ruined and it was all because of the giant Akuma along with the sounds of fighting. While she wasn't particularly surprised about its appearance, as its brethren showed up when the Tiedoll unit was in Spain, she made good note that it was strong.

_So, the Cross team is in trouble here…_

"Shorty." Kanda's stern voice brought her back and she felt his burning gaze without her looking as they ran. As Marie went further ahead to scout out for any of their comrades, the Japanese Exorcist had Mugen on the ready. "Remember not to go weak on me."

She only nodded quickly, getting the message as Deathtrap and Lifeline pulsed onto her hands. It wasn't unusual, it was always like this when battle was immense… However, it somehow felt different from before. It wasn't like that time during the Norway skirmish before she blacked out, before she met _him_—

A loud cry came from one of the roofs, making Kanda curse under his breath and Rue's eyes hardened. Knowing who it was, it made them speed up, hoping they would make it in time.

_Lenalee…! _The scream from her best friend was enough to make her heart feel like it was going t to stop. _Hang in there… We're coming!_

oOo

Stopping at a certain house, which was somehow held intact despite the damage, the two made out voices coming from above. One, of course, was Lenalee. The other two voices sounded masculine and unfamiliar. Kanda's eyes narrowed, looking up at the ceiling hard and seemed to be concentrating on something. With the same intention in mind, Rue closed her eyes, trying to pinpoint where exactly they were standing on the roof.

"How do we know who to strike, though?" She asked quietly, still cloaking her eyes in the darkness.

"We don't."The Japanese Exorcist grunted, pushing a glowing Mugen through the ceiling. He had them right where he wanted them. "There."

Doing this, a light beam blasted a hole through the structure and they jumped up and through it, using their attack as a distraction. Smoke and dust flew everywhere, masking up their presence. Kanda practically flew in the fray with lightning speed, striking down blows to a dark skinned man with deadly accuracy, but the he nimbly dodged them. As Rue observed this, her serious face dropped slightly to a surprised one once she saw who the Noah was taking hostage.

_L… Lenalee…? _She took a sharp inhale of air, looking at the girl who was her best friend. Her hair was short, so very short that the blonde almost didn't recognize her. There were also some injuries she must've received on the way to Edo, the one most noticeable was the one concealing part of her face. What was more of a surprise was how the Chinese girl's legs were wrapped in bandages. _What happened to you? And your Innocence?_

_And that man… _She frowned darkly, studying the Noah carefully. When catching a glimpse of stigmata on his forehead as he moved to dodge her teammate's attacks, it only confirmed her suspicions. A vengeful bloodlust was starting to feed onto her mentality, but she had barely managed to quell it. Deathtrap and Lifeline were itching to shed some blood, but she had to be patient. She had to find out which Noah killed _him_ first; then, that will be the time she would raise Hell. _So… This is what a Noah actually looks like in person. Just a little longer… A little longer until I…_

As much as she was lost in thought, Rue took in the exchange between Kanda and Tyki with trained eyes. She saw the Noah's mouth moved, being unable to hear what he was saying. What she got from it, though, was when Tyki unexpectedly threw Lenalee towards Kanda. It was a distraction, a clever one at that, but the Japanese Exorcist caught his now unconscious childhood friend with his left arm. Tyki soon launched an attack and Rue was just about to run in there when a certain hammer shielded them from it.

_Lavi…! _Rue lamented in relief, still continuing to run into their general direction. It took her a while to see what changed of the Bookman apprentice since she met him last. There was the new uniform he had on, for one, as it was to all Exorcists. There had been some injuries, old and new, from the fights he encountered before the Tiedoll unit arrived in Edo, so that was to be expected. Otherwise, he seemed to be the same. There was a nagging feeling in Rue that told her he changed in a way of his own; however, she dismissed it, coming to the conclusion that she was thinking too much.

As she neared, she began to hear bits and pieces of the conversation between them, noting that it was their usual banter – in Lavi's case, anyway.

As cheerful as ever, Lavi greeted Kanda with a comical smile, "Hey boss, what a coincidence to see you in the middle of such a battle! Long time no see."

"Shit, what are you guys doing here, anyway?" Kanda, as usual, was not amused about the stupid rabbit.

"Uh, well, it seems like our General has some business in Edo? How about you guys?"

"The same thing."

"Kanda, that was a lucky shot that Lavi just came to save us. Who knows what would've happened if you got hit by that Noah's attack." Rue interjected bluntly, earning a glare from her teammate.

"Are you trying to pick a fight with me, shorty?" A growl was heard in his voice, his right arm waving Mugen threateningly at her, which she promptly ignored. Lavi blinked at the abrupt change of mood, surprised that he hadn't sensed Rue's presence immediately. Catching his eye, she only gave him a nod of acknowledgment and nothing more, concentrating on her surroundings and the battle as she usually did.

_Unexpected, _Lavi mused with a somewhat humorous yet horrified tone, his breath caught in his throat as a hand made its way up to his heart to try to slow down its beating. My, she gave him quite the fright. He didn't hear the rest of the argument the two rivals were dishing out and he wasn't even offended that Rue just recognized him silently; he knew how she was when it came to a situation like this. _Well, it's obvious she's in the Tiedoll unit, but I didn't expect her to just pop in with Kanda! I thought she'd be with her other teammates. And she says my constant popping out of nowhere would give anyone a heart attack…_

"Anyway, Lenalee doesn't look well right now. I wonder what happened…" He vaguely heard Rue's neutral voice murmuring softly, addressing Kanda about it. How odd and quick she was to change the topic of picking on her teammate, either making him aggravated from such or it had taken his mind off of it. To Lavi, while he was used to Rue speaking in such a pitch, it sounded strange to him. There was a hint of concern, no doubt about that, but there was also something else lurking in her voice that was difficult to pinpoint. It was as if she was… What was it, exactly? "She better be all right, those wounds…"

"Don't worry so much… Shorty. Lenalee will be fine." And yet, Kanda, too, sounded strange. He sounded calm as usual, but it was as if he was a little too calm towards his rival when the Bookman apprentice had expected him to snap at her for changing the subject, for being doubtful about Lenalee's condition or both. He didn't sound so gruff or annoyed towards her unease either. When Lavi finally paid attention to them, silently hanging onto their words, he felt something was amiss between them. Kanda was giving Rue a knowing look – it was a penetrating, unwavering gaze that still made people feel intimidated yet he wasn't looking at her unkindly for once. It was as if he knew she was going to react this way in spite of her attitude. Rue, on the other hand, was keeping her poker face up; however, her lips thinned into a taut line and her eyes were gleaming with uncertainty and something else Lavi couldn't put a finger on.

When did these two change from their usual, bickering selves to this spontaneous and, for lack of better wording, unusual relationship that he was witnessing at the moment? Hell, what had occurred that made them reach to this subtle but nonetheless not so apparent mutual understanding? While this was definitely suitable, juicy blackmail, especially when the rivalry these two had shown towards each other and the Black Order for the past two years was taken into account (and Lavi would've made sure they wouldn't hear the end of it, even if that obviously meant his life was at stake), it gave off an uncomfortable atmosphere to him.

It was uncomfortable, heavy, and elusive and Lavi had no idea what to make sense of it.

Did something happen to the unit when they were searching for General Tiedoll?

_Hey, don't forget that you promised __**that**__ on the way to Edo. So, don't even think about trying to find out just because you're so concerned. I don't care if you're worried for that kid, you said you would keep your distance from her as much as possible, so don't you dare. _Deak warned ominously, his words cutting through his thoughts. Grim realization struck Lavi, knowing that the 48th alias was right, and a fleeting frown made its way on his face to show frustration about it. It disappeared just as quickly once a giant Akuma hovered above them. Thankfully, it wasn't going to descend onto them for it had been caught in familiar wires…

"Huh? What's wrong with it?" Lavi questioned, looking sickly himself once seeing its tortured expression.

"What?" Kanda acted like this was nothing as usual. "It must've gotten caught in Marie's strings."

Sure enough, from another rooftop nearby, Marie was manipulating the wires with his fingers. Noel Organon was of assistance from this, multiple strings coming out from the headphones.

_Noel Organon: Melody of Grief! _The Austrian commanded internally, clasping his hands together, fully concentrating on his task as electricity zapped through the dark threads. Cherubs were summoned and they sang a melodious but haunting song that reverberated throughout the area. The Akuma was screeching in anguish, taking up colossal damage.

Lavi heard someone nearby shifting their position, such a soft sound contrasting against the painted metal of the roof they were standing on. From the corner of his eye, he caught Rue to be the one doing so. One foot looked like it was stepping back a small distance, like she intended to retreat, but the other had been planted firmly onto the ground. Her left hand was pulling her red cloak upwards to cover up her mouth and nose, which the Bookman apprentice found peculiar since she very rarely did that before – if ever, even, judging from his memories. Was she doing that on purpose? And if she was, why? It muddled her expression, which was of its usual neutrality, but it didn't feel right to him this time. Why? This was how she always was, even in battle, so why did this not feel right? If only he could figure it out—

Something made him stop thinking this, though. It was then Lavi realized that Rue hadn't exchanged words with him at all. That she didn't initiate conversation with him. And she normally did, even if it was only to tell him to watch out for incoming assaults. Not only that, but the expression on her face – she looked to be in a trance. It was present the moment Marie played this song. She was lost in her own world, seeing nobody's presence but her own.

Blue flashed in front of his lone eye, making him take back a tentative step. Looking at the source, it was coming from Rue's right arm, which was kept at her side the whole time. Lifeline gave away a blue luster, which then formed into—

_Water…? When did she…? _Lavi thought faintly, watching as water surrounded Lifeline. The troubled feeling he felt earlier about Rue came back with a persisting vengeance once he saw Rue's right hand clenching into a tight fist that hurt to look at. Fingers were digging deeply into her palm and, judging from their grip, he wouldn't be surprised if she self-inflicted unintentional wounds there. Flicking his mystified but nervous stare towards her face again, the look of reverie remained there; however, her eyes gave away something that looked so off, it made her not look like the Rue he knew.

Why did it look like she was going to break?

Feeling unexpected but familiar warmth on his arms, Kanda's voice distracted Lavi from these musings when he commanded Mugen to go into its Double Blade Illusions mode. Looking down, the Bookman apprentice found that the unconscious Lenalee was now in his care and he made sure to secure his grip on her. A hint of concern towards Lenalee was felt. She went through so much and it was heartbreaking. Not only was she still healing from the wounds she received on the way to Edo, but she was sporting new ones ever since they came here to battle. And it was even more frustrating on her part that her legs were useless to her now as the Dark Boots Innocence had reached its limit when she battled with Eshi. So, it was best for her to rest up now, even if to give a brief comfort from being pushed to her physical and emotional limits.

"Be careful, Yuu!" Lavi called out worriedly, watching the other male ascended up to the grotesque creature. What were the chances of Kanda defeating this Akuma if the rest of the Cross unit couldn't? Even Krory and Bookman had trouble with it! "That thing's really, really—"

The Akuma had been cleaved in two before he could finish.

"Hard… Okay…?" The warning came out feebly and Lavi felt himself going pale once he saw how brutal the hit was. Rue, once she got out of her trance when Marie's Melody of Grief stopped, wasn't particularly surprised that she hadn't missed much. Then again, she already knew Kanda was viciously strong, so she was hardly shocked on how he defeated such a behemoth effortlessly. She only watched as the corpse fell down easily like a house of cards.

Landing a bit of distance away from Lavi, Lenalee, and Rue, getting up to his full height and slinging Mugen on his shoulder, Kanda said loud enough for the Bookman apprentice to hear, "Hey… Bastard."

"Y-Yes? !" The other replied hastily, snapping out of his appalled stupor.

Looking over his shoulder to give him a deadly glare, Kanda threatened icily, "Don't you dare say my first name again… Or I'll slice you into pieces."

_As usual, he's scary. _Lavi considered uneasily, not liking the deadly aura he was feeling from the other Exorcist.

_There we go, same old Kanda. _Rue sighed under her breath, a hand on her forehead. She felt a bit reassured when seeing Kanda and Lavi act like this together – moreso towards Kanda being his usual self now. To her, such things unlocked a sense of spontaneity that had been absent for a long time. For a moment, she felt everything fall back into place then, everything going back to normal, just like how things used to be—

Such a sentiment evaporated like a dream once reality made itself known to her by the pain that replaced that well needed but a very temporary comfort. She felt herself sway a little out of being overpowered by this, also having forgotten she was still weakened from the sickness she had been enduring once they made their journey from Edo. These current emotions, which she had felt from Tyki's appearance and Marie's song, were only feeding this weakness. It took Rue sheer willpower not to fall onto the floor out of this excruciatingly painful fragility that affected her every sense. Barely contained bloodthirsty vengeance was just bursting to get out while the haunting grief from _that time_ lingered on and it, too, wanted to find a way to be heard.

She felt suffocated. She needed to get this out of her system fast. She had to do something, anything, just to get out of this mess.

_I have to fight… I have to fight to feel like I'm alive…!_

Rue felt it, then. She felt her Innocence burning her palms, practically begging her to shed some blood from the enemy. Gritting her teeth, she tried to calm down her inner turmoil, but she felt something in her unwinding in the midst of this internal chaos. Spinning and spinning, driving her to the edge, until it would come to the point that she would snap—

Wide, wild eyes from these muddled sentiments and an overwhelming sense of paranoia looked up as she sensed something unsettling from the highest tower in front of her and all of the Exorcists. She spotted it just like the others, a dark, deadly energy was radiating from there. A glowing sphere was seen on one of the balcony's lowest floors and within it was a familiar, fat body wearing that hat and holding up a particular umbrella…

_The Millennium Earl…! _Her breath caught in her throat and she, too, felt that everyone else thought the same thing.

"How impudent…!" The Earl shouted to them with that wide, eerie smile on his face, the sinister air around him now engulfing the tower as it continued swelling at an alarming rate.

A deafening detonation sounded off, the destructive power obliterating everything in its wake. A blinding light had followed it soon after as it closed in on the Exorcists with every intent to end their lives.

That was the last thing Rue witnessed before darkness took over her vision.

oOo

By the time Rue came to, it took her a moment to take in what was currently going on. Her fellow Exorcists, Kanda and Lavi in this case, were fighting with the Noah she saw earlier. There was another Noah too, only this one was burly but there wasn't any doubt he had a strength that all of them had to be wary of. As she assessed the situation, she saw that some people had been dead from the explosion. Marie was still alive, although he looked unwell. Bookman and Krory were also with them, coping with the additional wounds they received. Along with them were two people Rue hadn't seen before – an older woman of German descent, wearing an Exorcist uniform; the other was a Chinese male who didn't seem to have a purpose with them. General Tiedoll, too, was safe, but he had an uncharacteristic solemnity to him that Rue found so off-putting. The strangest part was there was a giant crystal in the middle of the now barren land of Edo and Rue could faintly hear a familiar voice from within, calling out to all of them.

_Lenalee…! That crystal, is that… Her Innocence…?_

The thoughts had been cut off once Rue saw the Earl racing towards the crystal, the alarm for her friend and anger towards the Earl that she felt was enough to force herself to get off of the ground. Still dizzy and bearing wounds from the earlier explosion, she went off in a clumsy start but she had been able to regain her footing as she sped up into a full run. She ran past Kanda and Lavi, who were busy fighting Tyki and Skin Boric, and she barely dodged the attack General Tiedoll launched to help the two Exorcists.

_Come on, Marucut, do or die! _She berated herself, hoping she would reach her best friend in time. The Earl, despite his size, was able to get there first and walked through it. Cursing loudly, she didn't dare stop scurrying over there, ready to summon the elements. While she rotated her right wrist, jagged rocks grew out from the ground, heading towards the crystal, while Deathtrap was ready to summon a fireball when—

Something was going on within the crystal. The next thing Rue knew, a blinding light shone out of nowhere. She squinted through the glare, trying to make sense of what was going on, but she only caught vague shapes in the atmosphere.

_What just split into two…! ? _She ceased her attack, Deathtrap and Lifeline holding back any more power ready to unleash. Straining her five senses, there sounded like a clash from above them—

Something sailed towards the Exorcists' general direction, specifically towards Lavi. Once more, Rue moved in a hurry, already thinking of the worse things that possibly happened.

_Lavi! Hold on!_

Rue skidded to a halt, discomfort, bewilderment, and captivation taking over her when she looked what was with the Bookman apprentice. It looked to be a giant white cloak of fur and attached to it was a mask, floating in midair and looking like an apparition. The mask's design reminded her of the time she, Lavi, Lenalee, and Kanda went masquerading two or three years ago when Rue was still adjusting to be an Exorcist. However, this wasn't the time to think about those memories now.

What if that thing was a threat?

Deathtrap and Lifeline sensed her anxiety, revved up on their powers again and she was ready to attack in case of suspicious moves. Lavi was thinking along the same lines, thinking the thing was an Akuma, as he reached for his hammer.

Oh, how wrong the two were. When the drifting cape landed onto the ground, the last person they expected to see was Allen Walker with a new Exorcist uniform and all. Apparently, neither did Kanda for he struck him with Mugen, thinking he was Tyki, and Allen had to block the sword with his arm just like the first time they met. And so, Rue didn't know whether to snort or sigh at the sight of the two arguing irritably and glaring at each other darkly, one hand covering up her face to show what she was trying to express about the situation – that is, if she was able to make out how she felt about this at all. Lavi, too, had no idea how to settle this – he was either too stunned or too afraid, or maybe even both, to interfere in Allen and Kanda's squabble.

Of course, the argument escalated once they realized the Noahs were nowhere to be seen.

"Shit!" Kanda snarled vehemently, glaring daggers at Allen and looking oh-so-tempted to butcher the white haired Exorcist with Mugen.

"Hey, why are you yelling and swearing at me? !" Allen asked in an aggravated tone, offended that the Japanese swordsman implied that it was his fault the Noahs had gone away. "I think they got away because Kanda's such a dumbass!"

"Oy! What was that? Little shit, barging in and messing everything up, what were you trying to do, dumbass sprout? !"

"My **NAME** is **ALLEN**! Why do I have to tell you this all the time? I guess you really are a dumbass!"

"Nice attitude, Walker! I'll show you who the real dumbass is! Let's draw swords! I'll chop off that white hair and sell it to old geezers!"

"HAH, I heard black hair is more valuable, so your hair will be the one to go first before you could ever lay a hand on mine! And it's about time you looked less girly, anyway!"

"I'd like you to say that again to my face! And don't talk about my 'girly' looks! At least it's better than looking like an old man!"

In a tentative, cautious voice, Lavi finally added in the midst of their, "Uh… Isn't this supposed to be a happy reunion? Calm down…"

Simultaneously, both gave him death glares and held their Innocence as they said in frightening tones, "Lavi, just shut the Hell up! I'll shave your whole body!"

Lavi took a few steps back with a nervous smile on his face, not wanting to become the victim of crossfire if he knew what was good for him, and smartly kept his mouth shut. Man, why the Hell did he worked with such violent people in the first place when it was obviously scary to be their peacemaker when they fought amongst themselves?

"…Allen…!"

All three pairs of eyes looked to see an exhausted Rue, who crumbled on her knees to the cold, hard ground. In shock and worry, long forgetting the fight, the white haired Exorcist ran towards her, kneeling down to her eye level to check on her. Kanda only scoffed, irritated on how the beansprout abruptly ended their argument then and there, but kept a wary eye on his teammate. Lavi, as much as he wanted to check up on Rue, restrained himself from going to her. Just watching Allen being able to approach Rue without any second thoughts conjured an odd feeling in the older boy's gut.

And whatever it was, Lavi didn't like it at all.

"…You're well… You're safe… I…" Rue finally let out with a hoarse voice, gazing at him with an unreadable face. She felt the tightening sensation in her chest loosening a little bit and she felt like she was able to breathe a little more. The fact that Allen had recovered well during his stay in the Black Order's Asian Branch and got stronger than before was something Rue was very proud of since the last she heard from him was when the Asian Branch was dealing with an Akuma invasion. Of course she had faith in him; she never doubted Allen would come back for his friends in the Black Order because she knew he would. Even so, she couldn't help but feel so swept away with emotion just to see him alive with her own eyes as she grabbed Allen's hands and squeezed them out of her own accord to let him know about the things she felt but couldn't express except physically.

"Rue…" Allen knitted his brow, studying her face. The time they met last, during the circumstances of recruiting Krory, Rue looked healthy and strong enough to hold herself up. Now, she looked small, fragile, and stressed, looking like she was struggling with things for quite some time now. The wounds she currently bore were only making him feel scared for her and many questions were rushing so fast into his mind that he had no idea what to ask her first. Once he saw her face, it hit home for him. He had no idea why, but it was heartbreaking just to look at her. So, without saying anything, for words had failed him right now, he pulled Rue into a tight embrace.

"Allen…" She murmured loud enough for him to hear as her arms looped around his neck, her forehead resting on his shoulder. "Thank you… Thank you for keeping your promise…"

oOo

Night was falling and the Exorcists were making temporary residence under a bridge, gathered up near or around a bonfire in order to keep warm. All of them were resting themselves, needing to recover from the earlier skirmishes they had put themselves through. While General Tiedoll and Bookman were discussing about their objectives in Edo with Miranda, Krory, and Marie listening in, Allen, Lavi, and Rue were by the unconscious Lenalee's side, waiting for her to wake up. Kanda was a little farther from the rest of the group, facing the ocean with his eyes closed as he meditated to unwind. Chaoji was also keeping some distance, though it may look like he decided to be on the lookout in case anything happened.

Rue had been silent moments after her reunion with Allen, although she had spoken to Kanda, Marie, and General Tiedoll to check how they were faring, looking tense while clasping Lenalee's left hand. She had been kept herself in that position since the crystal—confirmed as Lenalee's Innocence—had released the Chinese girl out of its protective shield and Lenalee was tucked in blankets while resting. According to Allen, when the Earl had gotten to the crystal and went inside to destroy it and Lenalee, he had appeared just in time and fought the first Noah off to keep away from her. That was why it looked, to the other Exorcists, like the sky split. When the crystal disappeared, it was noted that Lenalee didn't receive new wounds and such news was a big help, concerning the battered condition she was in, and was out cold again.

Taking a look at her friend from the corner of her eye, Rue still had a lot on her mind. If Allen had been close to dying at the time _he_ was already gone, and had his Innocence shattered before recovering it, what was Lenalee's case? Seeing her legs wrapped in bandages like that was the last thing the younger girl expected. Why couldn't she use her Dark Boots and what had prevented her from activating it in battle? Sure, Allen's Innocence may've been restored, but he was a Parasitic accommodator while Lenalee had her Innocence as Equipment type. What would happen to her?

_Lenalee… Please, wake up. I need to see your face clearly. I… I… Just open your eyes soon. I might start thinking that… You won't ever get up from here, so please… Please… _Rue shut her eyes, biting down the inside of her lower lip as bad thoughts came to plague her mind. The fact that two of her friends had been close to death disturbed her greatly. It shouldn't have been so much as a surprise, though, what with them being Exorcists and times when Rue and Riley experienced such cases when on assassin duty. Lately, however, the mere idea of having her companions dying and her not being strong enough to prevent it was something that was getting under her skin easily, whether she would admit it honestly and out loud or not.

Clutching the other female's hand tightly, Rue squeezed her own eyes shut, trying to block out the feelings again and to compose herself back to normal. She could feel a headache forming as she felt the persistent sentiments again – paranoia, sorrow, and revenge. She had barely kept her sanity in place ever since she laid eyes on the Noah, but she was teetering at the edge once more. And with these emotions and thoughts, she could see _his_ face and _their_ memories together again, haunting her as they had been for the past couple of days. She still saw him clearly, looking and acting as he usually did, the ringing of a bell echoing in her mind. The image of her memory of _him_ had then distorted, revealing that malicious smile and cold, dead eyes of dark brown—

"_You couldn't even save me… Rue."_

"…ue… Rue… Rue!"

Her eyes flew open with a wild, frenzied look in them, her breaths coming out in wheezes as the vision of warped Daisya from Norway had faded, though relentless as it was, from her mind's eye. She felt sick and restless with the sense of suffocation bounded around her tightly, the stress excruciatingly agonizing than it was a while ago. The headache was gradually subsiding, though there was still a presence of pain strong enough to be felt. Deathtrap and Lifeline were sensing their accommodator's fretfulness, lighting up her bare, clenched hands with their warm auras. It was then she felt something holding her right hand and Rue focused her gaze on Allen's concerned face, who came by her side. The tomboy sensed other people's eyes looking through her: General Tiedoll, Kanda, Marie, and Krory.

The one gaze she felt weighing heavily on her was Lavi, who was right next to Allen. She only took a brief look at him and it was difficult to make out what he thought about her at this moment. It looked like he was bothered because of her, but there was something else there. That nagging feeling about him changing came back, but she disregarded it.

"Are you… All right, Rue?" Allen started slowly, his troubled expression trying to search into her face. "You were… Spacing out and your face is pale, so…"

"…I'm fine, Allen. Nothing's wrong." She finally blurted out calmly, not meeting him in the eyes as her eyes held an emptiness that it had before. Noting that she had been clutching Lenalee's hand a bit too tightly when she became lost within herself, she loosened the hold, taking into consideration that her friend needed blood circulation. It should've been enough for Rue that Lenalee's hands were warm and she was breathing, despite unconsciousness, to prove that she was alive despite her worn out condition.

For the love of anything, Rue had seen people died before. In her assassin days, in her Exorcist days, for almost her whole life, she was exposed constantly to the concept of death. Even the deaths of companions and colleagues she had known when being an assassin was also something that wasn't new to her at all. However, the signs of life being evident now and what Rue experienced in the past were only feeding the fear of the constant what ifs in her mind, all of such musings so closely linked to death. The death of her Exorcist comrades, who she saw as a second family, was no exception.

It didn't mean she was going to sit back and take it, though, and she couldn't at all. While their line of work was expected to have some casualties, it shouldn't mean that was all there was to this. There needed to be hope, but where could anyone find that anymore…?

Loosening his hold on her hand, Allen pulled back to only put his right hand on Rue's head, letting it stay there. Having seen this girl as his sister, Allen studied her with a worried frown, not quite letting go of his instinct that something was wrong after hearing Rue's words. No matter how good she was at concealing her emotions, she couldn't hide this so easily. And now that he thought about it, the times when he was recovering in the Asian Branch, it was already clear that something changed within Rue. However, he had to figure out what that was.

_Rue… _Curse his Bookman duties and curse that vow he made back on their trip to Edo. Curse them all right now, at this moment, because there was definitely something wrong with Rue. It would've been more than likely that she would blow Lavi off too if he had confronted her about it, just like what she did with Allen moments ago. Part of him, despite the Bookman apprentice persona, was still crying out to her. She acted like she was in her own world, even to the point she was distracted in battle, which was not like her at all. And not only that, she hadn't used her Innocence once or fought with the Akuma. The time when she and Kanda came up to the roof, Lavi saw that she was keeping a focused gaze on the Noah that intended to go after Lenalee and the others. And the expression she wore that time had been a hard-eyed, icy glare.

It chilled Lavi to the bone. He hadn't seen that look for a long time, not since that time long ago—two years ago—when Rue was starting to adjust to her life as an Exorcist.

What in the world made that look come back?

The atmosphere dissipated for now as Rue felt a slight movement from her hand. Looking down, she saw that Lenalee's fingers were twitching a little, indicating a sign of coming out from sleep. Averting her head to face the older girl, she watched as said-girl's eyes slowly fluttered open.

_Lenalee… You woke up… _Rue let out an inaudible sigh, feeling slightly better. She gave her hand a comforting squeeze. _You're okay…_

_Ah… What happened? _Lenalee thought slowly, trying to adjust her eyesight to her surroundings. From the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of strawberry blonde hair and a slightly small hand holding hers. Although she didn't see a face, she knew who it was as the air the person gave off was familiar. _Rue… Rue is here…_

_Then, everyone else…_ Focusing in front of her were Allen and Lavi, who were overjoyed to see her awake. Lavi, she understood him being around, but Allen was a whole different story. She thought she had imagined him saving her from the Earl when she was going to get killed, but this was something.

"Allen…?" She whispered softly, looking at him in both hope and uncertainty.

Looking down and peering into her face with sad eyes, his smile faded a little as he said quietly, "Yes, it's me… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry, Lenalee…"

"Hey, why are you saying sorry?" She extended out her right hand to him as she said this, slowly getting herself up, so not to strain her body. "If it has something to do with Suman… You saved Suman, Allen… He didn't die in vain and he had a peaceful death…

"I'm certain that you saved Suman's soul, Allen…" Her body now sitting up, Lenalee's right hand was still reaching out, touching Allen's left cheek tenderly. Such a gesture moved Allen as he felt tears welling up in his eyes. The time he spent in the Asian Branch had him thinking over the incident in China, concerning Suman Dark and his fate because of being a Fallen One and his body being eaten away by Tyki's Tease. With a warm smile and eyes that had tears forming at the corners, Lenalee said the words she wanted to say to him for a long time, "Welcome back… Allen…"

She understood. She understood his burden so well, of wanting to save everyone, no matter how futile it would be. Shakily, Allen's left hand went on top of Lenalee's, holding it while pressing her palm against his cheek. It felt comforting to feel Lenalee's warmth, the softness of her hand, there. There was no feelings to describe how right this felt and how he was glad to hear her gentle words. As tears slid down his cheeks, Allen smiled brightly, saying the words he longed to say when he would see Lenalee again, "C-C-Came back… I finally came back, Lenalee…"

This tender moment, however, had been interrupted as Lavi teased the younger male, "Awww, he's crying!"

At this sort of reply, Allen gave the older Exorcist a dark glare, his face flushed with embarrassment and anger. Chaoji was finding this amusing as he laughed along with Lavi.

"You're crying too, Lavi!" Lenalee pointed out accusingly, smiling as she did.

"I was not!"

Lenalee smiled at the scene and saw everyone else with them. It was familiar and it was like everything was back to how it was when they were all in Black Order HQ. She felt that, however strange it sounded, that she was home with them, no matter where they went. An unsettling feeling took over her moments after, shattering the peace as she felt herself being swallowed up in a hole.

"Lenalee!"

The last thing she heard was Allen's voice calling to her as she was carried away into the darkness.

Everyone else was in panic now that this happened. The one who got taken in next was Allen after he went to grab Lenalee's leg, but he also fell in. The chaos brewed as many others had hurried in there and tried to retrieve the two. Chaoji, Kanda, Krory, Lavi, and Rue had soon followed after them and the hole vanished into a bright light as soon as General Tiedoll, Bookman, Miranda, and Marie barged into the scene.

All of them sighted something forming into the sky, countless puzzle pieces materializing a giant object of some sort. It was a structure that was made up of many cube shaped pieces and they couldn't see what was contained inside.

Miranda barely heard Bookman saying something and it was indistinguishable to her as she never heard such a tongue spoken before.

_Bookman… Saying something? _She thought in confusion, regarding him warily. _What language is that?_

"…Noah's Ark appears…" The elder Bookman murmured to himself, make up covered eyes looking at it knowingly. "The Exorcists' destination is most likely…"

* * *

Hitomi: And I am finally done! *sighs, rubbing her temples* This took a good, long while, but I've finally been able to finish writing this! And before school time too! *gloats* And I apologize if this chapter has come off as boring to you guys… And I know I may've made writing mistakes… Again… Sorry, I'm really sorry!

Yes, I know Rue didn't fight at all and I did that on purpose. Well, she had been sick since the last chapter and she… Well, she's entered into her own darkness since Chapter 36 when Daisya died. So, this was a chapter to showcase how her state of mind has been this whole time. I'm being cruel to make her suffer like this, yes, but this was something I've been planning for a while and I've always wanted to delve into a character's craziness. Her sickness, her struggle to compose her emotions to fulfill her Exorcist duties, and hanging at the edge due to Daisya's death, Allen's close call to death, Lenalee not being able to use her Innocence anymore, and finally meeting the Noah face-to-face… These and a few other factors in future chapters of the Ark saga are contributing to her gradual but surely present breakdown to insanity.

Even her Innocence, Deathtrap and Lifeline, will be affected due to their accommodator's state of mind. In what way, I can't say just yet. Of course, it'll be soon when she truly snaps this time and who knows what'll happen (as if the Norway incident had been bad enough…). And it can't happen without her knowing who Daisya's murderer and Allen's would-be killer was.

Yes, parts of the fanfic were from the manga (some of the dialogue, anyway). I'm trying to also find a way to extend the scenes since I feel that if I follow the manga too much, the fanfic would come off as scripted as we know what happens in DGM. So, I'm using it as a reference. However, I'm thinking on how I'll be able to extend the scenes beyond the DGM dialogue (you get what I mean?), so I'm trying to work on that. That and I might think of tweaking the canon dialogue to my own way, but still keep the original meaning of what the canon characters are saying.

Ohoho, looks like Lavi and Rue's relationship will become complicated again soon what with Lavi keeping his distance because of Bookman duties once more and Rue just being lost within herself, using fighting as a means to cope while keeping her promise to Daisya. I wonder how this is going to be fixed. Of course, that depends who's going to start the complication first. Somehow, I have a feeling it'll be Lavi…

And no, despite what the scene sounded like, it's not Allen x Rue. I consider their relationship to be platonic. And people who know me when it comes to DGM know I'm an Allen x Lenalee fan, which is why Allen and Lenalee had their moment in this chapter. Although it would be fun to play around with the idea of Lavi being jealous towards his male comrades when it comes to Rue since he hasn't expressed such a thing yet, but I'm still thinking about it. XD Then again, he's already suspicious on how Kanda and Rue came to a sort of mutual understanding. And what he felt when he saw Allen rushing to Rue in concern was regret since he obviously promised himself during his travel to Edo to stay away from Rue in order to focus more on his Bookman duties. So, let's see about that. Oh yeah, the promise Rue's referring to is her conversation with Allen during Chapter 37.

Most of the canon dialogue (except two lines that I contributed to Allen's and Kanda's fight) and occurrences were based on the comedic scenes of the starting of the Ark arc, despite how serious that particular segment of the DGM manga is. T.T Then again, I thought it was nice to add in a bit more comedy than how much of it I usually put in for a change since things have been getting serious a little more since Daisya's death and I'm putting Rue through Hell for it while things will become worse for her.

As for the one-shot piece I was talking about earlier… ^_^ Romance/Humor Lavi x Rue again (damn, these two are so prone to Romance/Angst that I'm not kidding; they should be happy together, damn it!)! I've no idea how the one-shot will exactly go, but let me just say that… Well, a certain song from Bruno Mars has been stuck in my head for quite some time now, so I'm getting inspiration from it. XD And no, I am not telling you which song until I make the story! So, please, look forward to reading it!

And now that I am done… ^^; It's back to having a hectic life, starting Monday. So, I am letting you know that, even though I will not update as often, I haven't given up on this story. I want to see this story finished when the time comes. So, look forward to the next chapter, no matter how long it'll be when I update!


	41. To My Brother

Hitomi: XD And so, it's back to writing. Again. Despite how things are working out in the story now, this is something to be expected. And as we get closer to that particular scene (which won't be until the next chapter or two), I'm having a wee bit of trouble on how Rue will confront Tyki (especially when Tyki and Allen are going to battle each other). I guess we'll see.

^^; Ahaha, it took me long enough to write last chapter, yes? Sorry, sorry! *is most especially apologizing to Heartbringer, given what her review says* Even up to now, I'm glad you guys are still following this story, despite my sporadic updates! So, I'll do my best!

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

* * *

_She opened her eyes slowly, taking a moment to cover them with a bandaged hand in order to protect them from the light's glare. She grunted softly, not used to waking up like this as she slowly sat up. It was noted that she was on a bed and a comfortable one at that, despite it being somewhat lumpy; better than what she had before, that was for certain. A burst of pain followed from her miniscule movements, making her lie back down and wincing as she did. As it took her mind off from the brightness that burned her eyes moments before, she decided to look at her surroundings._

_Hold on, where was she?_

_This was unfamiliar. It was clean here, a little too. The air smelled strongly of antiseptic and rubbing alcohol and one other smell she couldn't place a name on. The room was a pristine white, making her uneasy as she sank deeper into the blankets. Although she normally didn't mind rooms such as this one, it still gave her an acute sense of feeling like a stain right now. A white this pure became too much for her to take in and wariness of what she was drilling a hole through her._

_Why must she be in such a room? Of course, there was no answer._

_Trying to not pay any more attention to the room, it was then she finally decided to focus on herself. She was in some gray nightgown instead of her usual clothes and there seemed to be consideration amongst the staff to keep her warm by putting an oversized sweater over it. And though she had no mirror as her guide, she touched parts of her body where wounds would most likely be. Sure enough, she felt the familiar feel of bandages and gauze all over her and she can see endless white cocooning her. For some reason, pain came and went every time she breathed. Her body radiated with a familiar, uncomfortable heat – had she develop a fever while in this state? For how long had it remained with her? Or rather, how bad, exactly, was her condition?_

_All musings had been cut off once the door banged open. Before she could register what was going on, a blur ran towards her and caught her in its hold – its warm, protective, and familiar hold._

"_What—"_

_The words were almost incomprehensible, as quiet as the snow falling outside, but there was a tremor to it. It almost sounded like he was—_

"_You woke up…" His voice was choked, muffled as his face was buried into her shoulder. With an embrace that "told" her about his insecurities, the burdens, and the stress from this whole ordeal, she felt his body shaking. Near her ear, she heard him inhaling sharply with a knowing premonition that he was having trouble speaking what he truly felt. Hoarsely, he whispered on, "…Every day… Every day, when seeing you like this and unconscious, I… I'd always say, '…Live. I want you to live, Rue.' When I took you here in France, the clinical staff… They were saying that there was a possibility that you would've… I…"_

_There was a pause and the younger Rue took this as a sign that he needed to get his thoughts together. She stayed quiet, her arms looping loosely around his neck and shoulders, her cheek resting on his own shoulder. Awkward as it was, it felt right, being with him like this._

"_I… No words can express how… I'm just really… Happy you're alive…"_

Riley… _ She mused, her eyes slightly softened. Her senses picked up what had been left unsaid, but was seen well. A whiff of antiseptic was on him as well as traces of blood from wounds – wounds that he received for her sake, to protect her from the comrades that turned against them because of what Riley did, which was also for her. Knowing that it was Riley holding her, she noticed now that he had bandages lacing around him as well; again, because of her. She felt like she couldn't breathe, the way he was holding her, but it was to be expected; he must've been really stressed, upset, overall losing his mind out of worry of her condition to the point he didn't care about himself. All of this time when she had been weak ever since they ran away from Spain, away from Commander Zero Black's lair and from their assassin obligations to him there, Riley only had her on his mind._

_When she felt wetness soaking through her cloth covered shoulder, there was no denying now that Riley Locsin was crying; crying out of relief, worry, and whatever else once again because of her. Was Rue really that important to him?_

"…_I'm sorry…" Rue murmured quietly, burying her face into his shoulder while her hands hesitantly rubbed his back to calm him down. Only a flash of emotion sparked in her, but she was unsure of what it was now after being told countless times in that place to get rid of them. Only then did she feel a tightening sensation in her chest, but there was no name to what she felt, not anymore. All she knew of it was the fact it related to Riley – his tears, his wounds, everything in this moment, and she was the one who caused him to be this way, after all. In an effort to reassure him, she continued to speak softly, having mulled over long enough on what to say to him next. "I'm sorry… Riley… I'll be stronger. I'll be stronger, so that… So that I won't make you feel like this anymore… And so that I'll be able to protect you too…"_

* * *

**Unravel**

**LXI**

**To My "Brother"**

「_We've been through a lot_

_And we sometimes have our riffs because of that._

_However, I just want to say,_

_No matter how many obstacles come between us,_

_Not even Death can severe our bond._」

* * *

_Damn it, why the Hell do I keep passing out? _Rue mused with mild annoyance, shutting her eyes quickly to soften the harsh light that would've burned them immensely. _Right, I'm still sick but I'll never be able to help if this keeps up. And what I dreamt of just now…_

How odd for her to dream of the past at such a crucial time and how odd for it to suddenly pop out of nowhere while in such a state. A peculiar combination of nostalgia and guilt rippled through her, fueling what was of her current state of mind all of this time. Well, it couldn't be helped; in some ways, _he_ and Riley were similar. Not only that, but she had promised them to be stronger in order to make up for her weakness, emphasizing even more what sentiments she felt ever since _he _died.

_Riley… I still haven't found my purpose yet. And I don't think I ever will because… _Eyes hidden by her bangs, her lips were in a twisted grimace. With her mouth tightly shut, nobody could see she was clenching her teeth unless they were keen to notice how rigid her jaw looked as regret and frustration overpowered her. _I failed again. I failed again and, this time, it had cost a comrade's life. I know I have to keep killing—as bad as that sounds—in order to protect but being unable to save someone you know, someone who is close to you when doing that… It's something unforgiveable to me. Because I know that I could've had the power to save them, but I failed once again because of my own incompetence. It's as if I'm only meant to kill and I'm paying the price by having important people in my life either gone or dead. _

_I feel like… I'm the reason why they disappeared from my life and why they're hurt, dead or both._

_I wish you were here because, right now, I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do anymore, Riley._

Faintly, Rue heard some commotion going on. From how loud the volume was, at least this meant she didn't have to strain her sense of hearing in order to be aware of the situation at hand. And now that the current circumstances were dawning on her, she was starting to really feel a squashing sensation all over her body. Whatever was on her felt really heavy and she felt she wouldn't be able to put up with it any longer.

"YOU GUYS ARE CRUSHING ME!" She heard Allen shout, making her close her eyes tightly in a wince due to his voice volume. Her face muscles slackened slightly from its stiff expression, it was then she chose this time to open her eyes slowly to check what was going on. The setting around her was filled with elaborate buildings, all a pure white. A crumbling sound can be heard from far away, almost sounding like the crushing of solid material. When finally getting used to the brightness, she looked around to see what happened to her and her Exorcist comrades.

Ah, no wonder Allen's voice was so nearby her ear and no wonder she felt such heavy weight on her. Recollections of Lenalee, Allen, and the others being sucked through a hole filled with blinding light flitted through Rue's mind as she now saw what happened. Everyone was in a dog pile with an irritated Allen and a semi-conscious Lenalee were at the very bottom of it. She knew Allen was nearby somewhere below her, but she had no idea who she landed on.

"Shit! Don't think you're the only one who's being crushed, stupid beansprout!" She heard Kanda's voice snap back somewhere from above her but still within hearing distance. "So, no complaining!"

"Well, you're not the one at the very bottom, are you? ! At least I have genuine complaining rights, so shut up!"

"I'm shocked… Ooog…" From the sound of things, Krory sounded so out of it, being the one at the very top of the pile and all.

"Uweeeh…" Chaoji groaned in pain, looking like he was going to pass out from this. Of course you couldn't blame him, being transported into a strange dimension by a couple of feet up high would do that to you.

_Well, at least we're alive. _Rue mused dryly, letting out a small sigh under her breath. Moving around to find a way out didn't do any good for it only made the load of her comrades' weights feel heavier. _However, if we stay like this, we're going to die from lack of air… Why did this have to happen?_

"You guys are too loud…" Rue deadpanned in dangerous calm, her eyes a cold glare to show she was clearly discomforted and annoyed with all of this. "What, do you really have to make me deaf too with all of your shouting?"

"Ah! You're finally awake, Rue!" Allen's voice called her from what sounded like somewhere below, relieved that she regained consciousness. "Are you all right now?"

"In this situation? I don't know," she quipped in quiet sarcasm, every word coming out of her mouth taking unusual but unsurprising effort in between puffs of air, "do you really think I'd be fine when I feel like I'm going to die? I don't think so."

"I wonder how you can even joke at a time like this," a familiar voice let out a breathless laugh and she heard it from nearby, perhaps a little too nearby for comfort. Hold on, did she feel it too? "You really are something."

_Hm…? _Hearing this comment, Rue barely had the strength to move her head to search for the voice. When her eyes fell on who she landed on, she nearly jolted in surprise, her hands unconsciously gripping the fabric of his clothes.

"Ah… " This was the first time since they were all reunited that she managed to exchange words with him. The glower she was wearing before melted away as embarrassment and anxiety was showing. Her throat and mouth gone dry, she hardly got the words out. "I… I'm sorry…"

"It's fine," he grinned softly, unsure whether to laugh or sigh at how things were now, his one eye still closed. Was he thinking she was apologizing for saying those things to their comrades earlier? And if he was, did he know what kind of scenario both of them were in now? And how dangerous it was? "I suppose it can't be helped. You always had a sharp tongue and a sarcastic sense of humor. Hell, even your bluntness may also be considered as such."

_That's not the problem here… _Rue lamented with a sigh, her right hand meeting her face as she was trying not to groan out of frustration. She felt her cheeks burning against her fingers, making the embarrassment grow some more. For now, she chose not to speak.

"Anyway, don't apologize so much. You've always been like this, so it's part of who you are. It's not like it's bad because everyone in the Order knows about this by—" Whether to find it impeccable or extremely bad timing was now out of the question. When Lavi opened his eye, it was then he noticed her being in her flustered state, looking the other way and daring not to look at him straight at his face. He was about to question what was wrong with her when he saw it clearly for himself. "…Oh…"

Indeed, this compromising position was heading into treacherous territory fast. Rue was on top of him, her hands using his shoulders to support herself from falling while her legs were against his sides. Due to Krory, Kanda, and Chaoji at the top, she was pressed against Lavi's torso, really feeling his breathing from his chest, the erratic beating from his heart, and the muscles on his stomach. Still, she refused to make eye contact towards him for fear of what he would see in her eyes.

How could this be different from whatever contact she made with him before in the past? True, Rue had been on Lavi once and that was during that time when Kanda gave her that lip piercing, she told Lavi it was her birthday when she turned fourteen. However, that was a long time ago and the feelings that were around on that day were when they were slowly getting closer to each other. There was also the fact she ended up sleeping on him that time and it was unintentional, but still. This was accidental as well, but…

When did she start becoming aware of how risky this was? It was natural, wasn't it? They were obviously of opposite genders, no matter how often Rue appeared as male, and Riley had warned the boys back home about this sort of thing when he was in his overprotective state for her. Was this what he was talking about back then? If so, she was going to either write a letter or visit him herself to have a little talk about it.

On Lavi's part, he could feel Rue's body's warmth and her own heart pounding into her ribcage. Had she always been this warm before, what with that icy personality of hers still intact? She felt small as well, what with her height and all, but it oddly comfortable to have her weight settle on him. Maybe it was because he was familiar with her and there was also the fact he didn't mind it. He felt his own face going bright red and his stomach was doing flips of unease, unsure of how Rue's face looked now because she wasn't looking at him.

What did this mean, then? This was an accident, of course it was, but why did it have to be so awkward—

"I'm sorry, Lenalee!" Both snapping out of their worry on how they were right now, Lavi and Rue took a peek of what was happening below. Ah yes, how could they forget Allen was hovering above Lenalee, holding off the weights of his companions in order not to fall on top of her? This meant he was also in the same dilemma like them. They saw his face flushed with mortification, his eyes wide as he continued on blurting out apologies. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean this to happen, I swear…!"

"I know," they heard Lenalee responding to him gently, a hint of a laugh in her voice, "you don't have to apologize, Allen. With us ending up in a dog pile and you being the one to fall in after me, I knew it was going to be like this."

"Lenalee…"

"It's all right, I understand. You're being a gentleman as always." She laughed softly with her face rosy and her smile warm, which was what the eavesdroppers saw. Letting her hand settle on his cheek as she did before, she continued speaking softly, "So, no need to apologize. I know you wouldn't do this on purpose."

Lavi grinned at this, watching the two go off in their own world. Rue wasn't sure what to make of this, but she already knew these two had a close bond.

"Now if we're through with this mushy crap," they heard Kanda growling in irritation, his usually sharp glare ready to kill anyone and everyone on sight. "Can we please get out of this pile now before I have to kill somebody? ! Beansprout, away from Lenalee!"

Allen and Lenalee blushed at this remark, making Lavi snicker under his breath. Rue just sighed, shaking her head softly. Right, they had to get out of this pile.

"You too, stupid rabbit!" Kanda barked out harshly, swerving his glower on him. "Don't think I didn't see you being all reluctant towards the shorty because I did! I'll knock some sense into you for that, idiot!"

Now it was Allen's turn to snicker, grinning slyly at Lavi as the Bookman apprentice looked away from him out of embarrassment. Lenalee was giving Rue a questioning look after that, but said-Exorcist only gave her a confused look in return. This was strange, seeing Kanda angry like this because of Rue too and even Rue herself wasn't expecting it. What, had their relationship changed that much?

_What was that all about, anyway? This feeling… What is it with Lavi that I feel these days? _Rue mused with another sigh, getting off of Lavi once Krory, Kanda, and Chaoji picked themselves up. She couldn't shake off the feelings she felt just a moment ago, keeping a bit of distance from Lavi after that as her face went red again. _Anyway, it isn't important now. There's no time to be flustered… I still have a mission to fulfill and it is my top priority._

Once Daisya's face popped into her mind, the humiliation that had been present was swept away by the dark emotions that had been gradually building up, sending her back to the reality that couldn't be denied. Eyes turning dark, she clenched her left hand into a fist, pressing it against her heart as if to reaffirm herself. Her right hand was glowing an odd mix of blue and purple, the auras swerving endlessly and mixing together.

_I promised you. I promised you on that day I will do what I can to avenge you. I already know what the consequences are if I were to fight with the Noah that killed you, but I will do this for your sake. _

Barely, she heard everyone else conversing as Kanda and Allen gave threatening looks towards Relo, pretty much wanting to kill the talking pumpkin umbrella once they figured out he was the one that sent them into the Ark, while Krory, Chaoji, and Lavi feared the sinister air their fellow Exorcists gave off. What a sight to behold since it was already scary to see Allen and Kanda argue. When they threatened someone together, like what they did to Lavi before entering the Ark, it felt like you were really going to die early. Poor Relo was screaming for his life in horror when seeing them like this.

"If you don't wanna go, you better let us out." Allen warned with a polite but icy voice, keeping his Innocence at Relo's left.

While Kanda's Mugen was on the umbrella's right side, said-Exorcist asked a little too calmly, "Where is the exit?"

Shivering with fright and sweating bullets, Relo let out worriedly, "Ex… Exit doesn't exist-relo."

Then, the pumpkin umbrella's expression changed as a familiar, cheerful voice came out from his mouth, "After long year, the boat completed its role and has come to a stop. Well done, Relo. Time to depart, dear Exorcists. It's time to depart with this boat to Hell~"

Once Rue heard that voice, something woke up inside of her as she went over to where the rest of her comrades were. With Relo's mouth acting as a projector came out an illusion of the Millennium Earl. She was trying not to seethe at the sight, her stance rigid and tense. As the Millennium Earl said this, the surroundings of the Ark were falling apart, making all of the Exorcists look up in shock and go on their guard.

"Watch out!" The Earl anticipated this, still speaking in that bright voice of his as if this was a natural occurrence. "It's starting to break apart from the parts that completed the download."

"What? !" Lavi exclaimed at this, not liking where this was going.

"The fuck do you mean…!" Kanda spat, his expression dark.

"This boat will momentarily be absorbed in between dimensions and disappear. If I must say at your level of science… Three more hours, that is the amount of time you have left to exist in this world." The Earl continued on speaking, then flashed a wide smile at Lenalee. "Pretty girl… You are blessed with wonderful friends. Look how many have come for you… You will go together with everyone, so you won't be lonely."

"Earl…!" Lenalee shouted out in a mix of horror and anger, her teeth bared. This couldn't be happening. Them, having only that much time left to exist? How could this be?

"Not to worry…" Coming completely out of Relo's mouth, the illusionary Earl floated away into the dimension like a balloon. "I won't let anyone feel sad. I will stop the tears of those left in a world without you."

oOo

From outside of the Ark, as the Earl spoke these words, humongous shadows loomed over the horizon.

"Something's here…" Bookman said calmly, his gaze serious as he peered into the distance.

"Marie… Can you hear anything?" General Tiedoll asked, also feeling something was wrong.

"This sound… Perhaps twenty or thirty bodies." Marie estimated gravely, not liking how the situation was turning out. "All of them are the giant Akuma that we fought before."

"The radio communication with the kids has been severed," the short, elderly man told the General somberly. "What are you going to do?"

"Oh dear…" General Tiedoll muttered this in distress. This wasn't a good sign at all. How could they reach them now?

Just then, a squeaking sound was heard from the General's bag. Seeing a glow from there, General Tiedoll took the item out and saw how brightly it was shining. This only meant one thing.

"…General… Is that…?"

With wide eyes, knowing the thoughts he was having was the only explanation why, the General confirmed with a calm "yes." Releasing it into the air, watching it head towards the Ark, he requested to it, "Please, go to them."

Miranda looked on with a confused face while Bookman too mumbled his title in bewilderment. However, the General only pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and said something almost to himself, "I guess it's inevitable."

oOo

Back inside the Ark, there was obliteration and mayhem at hand. The Exorcists had been on the run in order to avoid getting hit by the Ark's self-destruction, but there were a lot of things falling apart. The ground cracked and split open, rubble protruding out. Other things, like the buildings, were exploding into many pieces, the debris sent flying. While this happened, Lavi and the others were trying to find a way out of the Ark by smashing through the houses, Lavi's giant hammer being the most efficient tool to use for such. However, an exit couldn't be found at all.

"There should be a house somewhere that connects to the outside!" Allen yelled out urgently, taking in air like the rest of his friends from running so much. "I came through that!"

"Impossible-relo!" Relo chortled.

"And how many houses have we busted? !" Krory asked, trying not to feel the despair closing in.

"This boat has stopped-relo. It's not connected to other dimensions-relo, I tell ya! Seriously, there is no…"

The talking pumpkin umbrella was certainly a chatterbox for it wasn't helping at all from how desperate the circumstances were. As a way to vent out such negative feelings, the boys ended up beating up said-umbrella in order to shut him up.

"WATCH OUT!" Lenalee and Rue alerted them as the ground started lifting them upwards, splitting into chunks of rubble. Meanwhile, the buildings around them started crumbling and they were all trying to hold on.

"It doesn't exist-relo… Really…" Damn, can't the talking umbrella shut up? "You can't escape from this boat. You guys are going to die here-relo."

"There is one." A new voice called to them, making Allen turn around. "But it is just an exit… There is an exit, boy."

Once Allen faced the newcomer, he met the face of a man with dark hair, pale Skinn, thick glasses, and with a cigarette hanging in his mouth… On top of that, he was holding a key…

Seeing who it was, Allen, Lavi, and Krory freaked out, recognizing him before on the train ride.

"SUPER THICK GLASSES!" They called him in surprised shouts.

"Huh? Is that my name?" As much puzzled as Tyki was with the nickname they gave him, he was amused as well.

"Wh- Wh—? Why are you here? !"

"Hey," Kanda's voice pierced through this little hubbub, a tone of urgency and caution in his words. "He's on the ready to kill."

Patting Allen's head with his cigarette between his fingers, Tyki flashed a scary grin, "Boy, how did you survive…?"

The next thing Allen knew, he felt a powerful force colliding with his forehead. Turning away and nursing his aching head, he was trying not to let the tears from the pain get to him. Damn, what the Hell did that guy have to headbutt him for?

"DAMN YOU! Thanks to you, I had to endure all the things the Earl and the brats said!" Tyki lashed out angrily, seething in rage.

"What are you talk—" Allen questioned in utter bewilderment, peeking at Tyki from his gloved hand still relieving the pain from his forehead. His eyes widened in shock once he witnessed Tyki's transformation.

Glasses removed and still taking a smoke, Tyki's Skinn turned darker to ashen gray and his eyes transformed into a molten gold. His left hand slicked his hair back, exposing the stigmata on his forehead. With his tongue sticking out and tossing the key up and down in his right hand, Tyki spoke, knowing what the Exorcists wanted, "You want an exit, right? I can give it to you. There isn't an exit in this Ark anymore but with Road's ability, we can make some more."

Rue tensed besides Kanda upon seeing this Noah in the flesh. This was the same Noah that Kanda was fighting earlier, the same Noah that held Lenalee hostage. And from what she was getting from the exchange between him and Allen, from the way Tyki was saying things, it only meant…

_This is… This is the Noah that almost got Allen killed, if what he's saying is correct. Which means he's the Noah who murdered…! _She ducked her head to hide her expression, feeling her eyes and face burning excruciatingly, growing dizzy and overwhelmed by this revelation. The dark emotions swirled on and on into the deepest parts of her mind and heart, blocking her senses from the outside world. Somewhere within her cried out in wrath, reason and logic no longer strong enough to restrain such a strong emotion. She heard nothing but these thoughts circling in a never-ending mantra: _So, you're the one who did the dark deed… I will kill you! I will kill you and make sure your blood will stain on my hands! _

So consumed in these musings, she hardly paid attention to the conversation between the Noah and her fellow Exorcists (and with a building almost falling on top of them, but Rue had been a safe distance away from it) nor did she saw how Road's door suddenly appeared behind Tyki. Deathtrap and Lifeline were in tune to their accommodator's sentiments, both radiating a menacing violet on their owner's hands from her coat pockets. When looking up at the Noah, partially parted bangs revealed eyes darkened with the intention to kill, ripping him apart piece by piece with that glare of hers.

He must've sensed this for he met Rue straight in the eyes, looking at her in unabashed, knowing amusement. She kept her face neutral but she clenched her teeth with her mouth closed, grounding them together. Did he know what team she belonged to, which teammate of hers he killed? Who the Hell was he to mock her this way? She'll show him!

Being the one next to her, Kanda had caught their exchange, really noticing their cues, which made him frown a little. Although she said or did nothing to give her emotions away, he felt a dark air around her. Again, that small part of him that was scared for her was starting to show itself from the bottom of his heart but he shoved it back down. He shouldn't be worried at all, the shorty was able to take care of herself and he knew this when he first laid eyes on her. He made her stronger when training her Innocence as well, so she was a capable Exorcist. But this was something not to be taken lightly either.

_What's going on through that head of yours now? _He wondered vaguely, casting a long side glance at Rue. Ever since _that time_, it was a little more noticeable that he was looking out for her. Slowly but surely, he had been by her side, even when she became sick before their journey to Edo. _I know you told me you wanted to be stronger for _his _sake, but don't do something stupid._

Not too far away, Lavi noticed this as well. Although it was only Rue's back he saw, he observed how stiff it looked. And judging how her arms were position, despite her hands being in pockets, part of him couldn't help but thought that they were in tight fists. He didn't know why, but he had a hunch.

_Rue…? _He frowned at the shorter Exorcist's back. He was about to approach her to ask what was going on, but a crash interrupted his thoughts.

When a building fell down on Tyki (of course he was still alive with his ability), the only clue she had of the conversation was when Tyki tossed the key, which Kanda caught in one hand.

Amidst the smoke from the falling wreckage, Tyki commented boldly, "You know, Exorcist hunting… Is a lot of fun. I'll leave the door at the highest place of the Ark. If you guys make it to the door before it crumbles, you win."

"I've heard the Noahs are immortal," Allen spoke in quiet calm, a little miffed when hearing Tyki saying earlier to play fair this time. "How is this a fair game?"

At this remark, Tyki had let out raucous laughter from the absurdity of the boy's statement.

"Oops, sorry about that. I don't know how that happened. Boy, we're humans too, you know?" With a smile ever present on his face, the Noah of Pleasure turned his back to the group of Exorcists, walking through the solidity of the building that landed on him moments earlier. "If we seem to be immortal… It's only because you guys are so weak!"

Oh, how Rue wanted to kill him right on the spot for that. Them, weak? How dare him, underestimating them! Surely, he shouldn't have taken them for fools yet for him to actually have the nerve to say that to their faces was just…!

_You're making a big mistake, taking me too lightly… For that in vengeance of my fallen comrade, I'll make your suffering slow and torturous._ Her eyes narrowed into thin slits, Deathtrap grabbing one of her sheathed daggers' hilts with a vice grip. A feral growl almost escaped from the pocket of her throat but she held herself back from voicing it out loud._ Like Hell I'm giving you a quick and painless death because that's just being too merciful. _

With the white, solid landscape crumbling around them, the Exorcists took this as a sign to run for it. However sore and tired their bodies had been (their wounds temporarily gone due to Miranda's Time Out ability), it was do or die from here, so they didn't have much of a choice. At one point, Lenalee had lost her footing and was going to be left behind in the chaos but it was lucky Allen caught her in his arms and carried her as he sprinted as quickly as possible, much to Rue's relief. Nice timing Allen had there for she didn't want her best friend to be gone. It won't be good for her heart and her mind at all if such a thing were to happen.

However, Rue herself almost came close to dying. Her body had been putting up a struggle for the past couple of days, sickness weakening her physical strength gradually. Her mentality and emotional strength were put under great strain to the point she felt like she was going to burst any moment if one more thing were to contribute to whatever she had built up on feeling. Never in her life had she felt so tired, so stressed, and so repulsively fragile. She felt like she couldn't make it.

"Ah…!" Not watching her step, she tripped on a piece of rubbish she didn't notice, feeling herself falling forward. Even if this lead to her imminent doom, she was going to face it bravely. This was thankfully interrupted, however, when she landed on something solid and warm that happened to pass by. Hold on, why was it warm? Then if this was someone, who was it that—

"Watch where you're going…!" Kanda hissed urgently, hurriedly latching his young teammate's limbs around his torso as he picked up his pace again, carrying her on his back. Shooting a stern look to her over his shoulder, he asked agitatedly, "What did you trip for just a moment ago? ! If I hadn't come by, you would've died back there and we wouldn't know! Idiot shorty, what the Hell were you thinking?"

Rue made no response at her teammate's harsh rebuke, clinging onto his body with whatever strength she had left in her. Dropping the eye contact first, she lightly pressed her face into the back of his shoulder, feeling his body heat through his coat. For once, whether she would admit it or not, and having no clue why while she was at it, she felt reassured to have Kanda with her right now.

"…I'm sorry." She apologized quietly with a muffled voice, closing her eyes briefly and was somewhat taken aback to feel this odd serenity, as she loosely looped her arms around his neck. Of all of the people who made her like this, Kanda? She had expected it to be General Tiedoll or Marie, even _him_. How things changed in their own pace and at unexpected times too, it was things like this that made life look like a big joke sometimes. "I'll be careful next time, Kanda."

"…Tch," he turned away with a confused frown, not expecting any of this from Rue at all. Right now, he kept focusing on getting away from the Ark's deconstruction, tightening his hold on her legs to secure her to him. This kid, being a pain in the ass the moment she became his teammate two years ago, what the Hell did she have to burden him for with even the littlest things like this? And yet, somehow, he felt he couldn't just leave her alone without her causing trouble. "it's pointless to say sorry, so don't tell me that. And you better watch it next time or I really will leave your ass behind, shorty."

"If you say so, Yuuri." Ah, much better, calling him that. It felt like a long time since addressing him with that silly nickname. So long ago she had last called him that. Just thinking about it made her nostalgic and yet… Shaking her head softly, Rue kept her face hidden behind Kanda's back the whole time, still keeping her eyes close.

"…What is it?" Kanda asked sternly, either used to this nickname or he had completely ignored it, feeling little tremors coming from her legs as he gripped them. "You're shaking."

"…Nothing…" She whispered, tightening her hold around his neck, silently commanding her body to stop quivering. Muddled emotions with this nostalgia… It was becoming overwhelming. She hoped her Innocence wasn't acting up again or Kanda will be really suspicious. "Just trying to hold on, that's all. I feel… Tired."

He left it at that, knowing that what Rue said was true: her sickness had weakened her like this, so it was hardly surprising. Even with that in mind, he couldn't help but feel there was more to it than that. However, he shook his head at this, not wanting to dwell on it anymore. If the shorty wouldn't say anything, then he wouldn't either. She had the right as he did to keep quiet about whatever was on her mind and she preferred it that way.

And so, the rest of their journey was spent in oddly comfortable silence, even if they happened to be in a life or death scenario.

oOo

When the Exorcists finally found a safe place to rest for a moment, they were thinking on what to do next. Currently, they were in another part of the Ark, resting on some stairs and catching their breaths. It was no joke running away from the widespread annihilation as it was gradually catching up to them.

"What are we gonna do now…?" Lavi wheezed, perspiration running down his grim face. "We can't keep running forever if the entire place is gonna collapse in three hours like the Earl said."

"Actually," Relo interjected abruptly. "We've only got two hours left-relo."

"That doesn't change the fact we're in deep shit!" Krory pointed out in between breaths, frowning.

"We are familiar with Road's ability of moving through space." Allen said, recalling how he and Lenalee dealt with Road during the Rewinding Town mission.

"Yep." Lenalee nodded in agreement.

"Hmmm, I guess it can't be helped, then." Lavi sighed, resigned.

"Shit…" Kanda muttered under his breath, his glare sharper than usual and his teeth clenched together.

While the rest of the group started to look around where there were possible keyholes, from the corner of his eye, Kanda found Rue still at the stairs, wobbling as she stood. She looked like she was barely able to hold herself up ever since he set her down on the stairs when getting her off his back. Frowning, the older boy motioned her to go to him with a curt nod, which she took as a signal as she walked over to him.

"What is it, Kanda?" Rue asked calmly, looking at him confusedly. To add further bewilderment, a gloved hand pressed on her forehead as a response. "Wha—"

"…Your fever has lowered but it's still there." He murmured in a low voice, an unreadable expression on his face. "Make sure it doesn't come back to full force or you'll have trouble fighting later."

"…Kanda…"

"Che, I'm only saying this because the old man will get worried again and give me complaints on why I'm not looking out for you as an older brother should." With a sigh, he lowered his hand back to his side, turning his back on her as he went to the rest of the group to investigate. "Not like I care, though, as it was all his idea to treat us as 'family.' So, let's do what we have to do, shorty, and don't slow me down."

_Idiot shorty… _Kanda rubbed a hand to his temples while the other hand clenched into a fist, quashing down with difficulty the emotions that were threatening to come out. _You've been acting strange. And you still don't remember what happened during the Norway battle, do you? If the old man worries about you again, there's no way I'll hear the end of it. So, don't do anything stupid.  
_

Rue just nodded at this, not bothering to question it. This was Kanda, after all, and she knew how he was.

_You know, don't you…? _Rue sighed, following behind his teammate quietly. There again, she became lost in thought, lost within herself. The reminiscences before Edo came into mind, although it always blanked out at the Norway battle. _You already know the reason why I'm like this. I did ask you to make me stronger, so… I'll keep that promise to you too. To you, _him_, and Riley, I promise I'll become stronger and be capable._

Upon seeing this exchange between Tiedoll's disciples, Lavi wasn't sure what to make of it anymore. To be truthful about it, he was conflicted about the whole thing ever since he saw them together before coming into the Ark. It was hard to tell what they were to each other, so his thoughts had been in a jumble all of this time. The noisy, teasing part of him wanted to use this as valuable blackmail to be used against them, even if it meant his own life was at stake. The nosy, mischievous part wanted to know how they became like this towards each other. And yet, there was the suspicious facet that was oddly uncomfortable with this—

_Don't think about it anymore. _Deak reminded him again with a harsh tone of voice. _You said you'd distance yourself from her. Don't get caught up about what's going on between her and Kanda. That's their business, not yours, so stay out of it._

_But Rue's been acting really strange from the start ever since we met up again in Edo. _Lavi argued back, a painful sensation in his chest. _That icy look in her eyes returned after such a long time, the way that she reacted when Marie's Melody of Grief played out… And even when she summoned Water from her Innocence while looking like her mind wasn't present. She never had the element of Water the last time I met her, don't you think that's strange? The only time she seemed to be present was when we all landed on each other here in the Ark, but something was still off about her._

Remembering the dog pile incident got the Bookman apprentice to blush but he waved the memory aside.

…_As much as I admit those are pretty sharp observations, you can't find out. _Deak replied slowly, his resolve resolute. _You can help her if you can when it comes to battle, but don't associate with her. You've promised yourself, didn't you? You said you were going to be serious with your duties and Marucut is a threat to that. Besides… This is the only way to protect her. _

_To protect her… _Lavi mulled over this, his lips thin. Slowly, he shook his head, knowing this isn't the time to deal with such musings now. Withdrawing from this, he came back to see what was going on with the rest of his comrades.

"I-I can just use this door, right?" Allen asked suspiciously with key in hand, face-to-face with a door that was divided into two, four locks on each side.

"I think any of the doors will do." Lenalee nodded, knowing there was no time to lose.

"Yeah, I think so too." Krory agreed.

"Just do it." Kanda made his input in a blunt, firm fashion.

"By the way, Allen, you really are weak at Rock-Paper-Scissors." Lavi joked with a grin, knowing that he, Allen, and Kanda had ended up doing said-game in order to settle once and for all who would open the doors with the key.

Ignoring this remark, Allen inserted the key and turned it…

A quick whoosh was heard as another door took place, also split into two. It was in unexpectedly colorful decorations, filled with a sun, stars, a butterfly smack dabbed in the middle, and a rainbow coming out from a cloud at the bottom left corner. Each of the Exorcists exchanged dubious looks towards each other, really not knowing what to expect from behind the door.

"We'll all make it out of this!" Allen declared in a strong voice, extending his right arm out to them.

"Yup." Lavi said breezily, placing his hand on top of Allen's.

Pretty soon, one by one, the rest of the Exorcists were doing so.

"Yes." Lenalee agreed unwaveringly, her hand following after Lavi's.

"Of course." Krory remarked softly, unhesitatingly going into the hand pile and putting his hand on Lenalee's.

"Uh-huh!" Chaoji replied with missing a beat, his hand being the last to go on Krory's.

"Kanda… Rue…" All of them looked the other two hopefully, each wishing for them to join in.

"No way." Kanda deadpanned, wrinkling his nose at the sight. This wasn't his style at all.

"…My apologies, but I'm going to have to decline." Rue stated bluntly, facing forward to the door again. From within her coat pockets, she felt Deathtrap and Lifeline surging power on her palms.

"Haha, of course." Allen grinned slightly, having a feeling the two were going to be like this.

"We're going." This was all Kanda said as he opened the door, Rue following closely behind him. Everyone else followed after reaffirming their feelings with their hands. Of course all of them would get out…

If the door outside was enough to arouse some sort of uncertainty, the interior looked even more conspicuous. When they came inside, the entrance they came into made it look like they were coming out from a house that was painted on the wall and there were more decorations. It looked like something from a fairytale, the surroundings looking like they were white with snow and there rocks all around them. Perhaps, it was a mountainous landscape. The "sky" or ceiling of the place was designed with clouds, sparkling stars, a very large rainbow, and three crescent moons.

"What is this place…?" Allen mumbled in a mix of puzzlement and awe.

"It's definitely not outside." Lavi guessed in obvious fashion, looking around in wonder too.

Kanda caught a shadow from a distance, on his guard.

"Kanda?" Allen, now alert, saw how the older Exorcist was acting.

"Shhh, be quiet." Kanda muttered lowly, sharp eyes peering into the distance. "He's here."

Once Rue followed Kanda's line of vision, she saw a burly figure. Then, she recognized him. He was the Noah, along with Tyki, they were fighting outside earlier when Lenalee was protected by her Innocence's crystal form. Yet she had the notion she met him before, but she couldn't put a finger on where and when…

"You guys go first." Kanda suddenly said, one hand on Mugen's hilt.

"What? !" Allen, Lenalee, Krory, and Chaoji shouted.

"Yuu?" Lavi, too, was taken aback by this sudden decision.

"Kanda…" Rue knew where this was going.

"He's the guy after our General. I've met him a couple of times."

Now, it clicked in Rue's mind where and when she met Skinn Boric. It was during those times when the four disciples were journeying to look for General Tiedoll. She should've recognized him sooner!

"W-We can't leave without you, Kanda!" Lenalee protested, having a sinking feeling in her gut.

"I'm not doing this for you guys. I told you, he's after our General," he took out Mugen from his sheath now, ready to activate it anytime. "so I'm gonna be cutting him down to complete my mission."

The time left until the collapse of Noah's Ark, holding Allen and the team captive, is approximately one hundred and ten minutes…

Rumbling can be heard and it shook up the place, making the rest of the Exorcists huddle up together.

"Earthquake…" Allen mused, looking uneasy.

"So, this is still inside the Ark? !" Lavi shouted, shocked.

"Yep-relo." Now, Relo got around to talking again, deciding to inform the Exorcists about this place. "This is just a room that hasn't completed the download to the new Ark-relo! As soon as it finishes, it'll disappear-relo!"

When they all heard this, all of them became alarmed. Allen seemed to be the one panicking the most. This room will disappear? No , that couldn't mean… And if it did, then there was no other choice but to…

"I'm going to stay too, Kanda!" Having made up his mind, Allen made this suggestion, raising his hand.

"Allen!" Lavi cried out, looking at him like he was nuts.

"Everybody else, please find the next door and move onto the next opportunity!" Allen commanded to the rest, already deciding for himself to not leave the other Exorcist alone. "We will follow…"

"Being stuck with you?" Kanda said all too calmly, his facial expression unseen. "You're kidding me."

"Kan…!" This was not the time to argue with Kanda. Allen was ready to protest him on how this should be beneficial in order to ensure both of them would live, but Mugen's tip came dangerously close to his nose in a threatening fashion.

"I said I got him." Kanda growled with an obstinate glare, the air around him sinister. As the rest stepped back in shock and horror, Kanda continued to make threats, Mugen positioned in front of him. He wasn't kidding when he said he was going to handle this by himself. "Get lost or shall I start dicing you guys? Mmm?"

_There we go. The usual Kanda I know. _Rue pressed a hand over her face, wanting to sigh and laugh at the same time at the sight. _When he says he's got it, he doesn't want anyone else to interfere. And since this is for our General Tiedoll, of course he'd do this. Guess it shows he cares about him more than he's ever willing to admit._

Krory and Chaoji could only stare at the man in front of them, feeling uncomfortable. Lenalee took back a step, hand over her mouth, unsure what to say or do. Having been his childhood friend, of course the girl knew he was going to be like this… But to this extent…? And only Allen and Lavi were the ones to have guts to retort something back to him.

"Wa-Wait a sec… I see a demon… Mr… Mr. Kanda…"

"You… Serious?"

_This guy is threatening his own friends-relo. _Even the talking umbrella noticed this, feeling like he, too, also met a demon amongst the Exorcists.

"FIRST ILLUSION: HELL'S INSECTS!"

Yes, Kanda went that far to show he was serious: casting his Innocence's power against his companions, so to let him be alone with the Noah. Of course, he was aiming this towards the guys since A) Komui would kill him for aiming at Lenalee, knowing his sister complex and his maniacal scientist side and B) whether or not Rue was into that condition of hers, he knew he was going to ask trouble either way, so he didn't bother. Besides, neither of them seemed to be against Kanda's decision or they just accepted it because they knew he was going to be this way, anyway.

"WHOA!"

"Hey, yo! Stop!"

"Kanda!"

"Ouch!"

"Dying!"

"I'm dying!"

What a hilarious sight unfolding, seeing the boys get attacked by Kanda's power, and Skinn Boric only watched in silence. Lenalee and Rue were just bystanders throughout the whole thing, neither of them surprised by these turns of events. This had unlocked the fact that all of the males (Exorcists, anyway) were hot-blooded, after all, given how the guys were reacting during this whole affair.

"IDIOT KANDA YUU!" (Allen)

"YOU'RE GONNA KILL US, YOU ASS!" (Lavi)

"YOU'RE NOT HUMAN!" (Chaoji)

"DEMON!" (Krory)

"Um… Everyone, Kanda is…" Lenalee tried to calm everyone down but it was to no effect.

"What the Hell?" Relo mumbled to himself, backing away from the group.

_Ahhh, as expected. _Rue drew out a long sigh, hand on her forehead as she shook her head.

"WHO CARES? ! WE'LL JUST LEAVE KANDA BEHIND!"

The only response Kanda came up with was just a quiet sigh, ignoring them.

"My God, he's sighing at us. We're the ones who want to sigh!" The guys whined in aggravation, glaring daggers at him as this infuriated them more. They all turned their backs on him, still peeved about what happened.

"That guy's off his rocker!" (Chaoji)

"Can't be bothered!" (Lavi)

"So self-centered!" (Allen)

"First time I felt cheated for worrying!" (Krory)

While this was going on, Lenalee and Rue looked behind them, seeing Kanda's back. Rue stayed quiet, watching as her best friend had a doubtful look on her face.

_Hm… _Walking a little forward, Lenale's uncertain expression disappeared as she called out to her childhood friend, "Kanda! Kanda, you have to follow us afterwards… Promise?"

There was nothing but a cold silence from Kanda. He only focused on the enemy in front of him, looking like he was also waiting for his companions to leave. This made her puff her cheeks with a pout, her expression annoyed. For as long as Rue knew Lenalee, she knew her best friend had a gentle personality and was not one to be mad so easily. However, seeing as this was Kanda, and while Rue knew Lenalee grew up with him in the Black Order since childhood, it's no wonder she finally got angry at him. So, it was pretty scary to watch her as she yelled at Kanda at the top of her lungs:

"ANSWER ME!"

"O… Okay," Kanda finally had the guts to turn around and acknowledge Lenalee, looking at her straight in the eye. Was it Rue or did he look rather reluctant towards Lenalee? "I got it, so hurry up and go."

"Hey, hey," now Skinn spoke up, finally unable to hold back his impatience and temper anymore. His golden eyes glowed eerily and he transformed into a grotesque body with tentacles. There seemed to be an odd cross shaped hole in his torso and it looked like his face was split into some parts. His Skinn was no longer gray but a glowing yellow, a crackling sound emitting in the air. "You guys grumbling and complaining, shut up the fuck up!"

All stopped as they saw in fear and shock that Skinn was gathering thunder in his mouth. With quick reflexes, Kanda had Mugen up and ready along with the sheath. Rue knew he was going to use the Double Illusion Blades from how the sheath glowed too. When Skinn blasted out his thunder power into a deadly beam, Kanda countered it with his Eight Flowers Praying Mantis technique, hacking away at the force with eight powerful slashes.

A forceful gust of wind had been blown, the other Exorcists seeing how dangerous this was becoming. Now, it was more than a good time to escape.

Allen shouted what he wanted to say to his rival, "Kanda… If you don't come afterwards, I'll kick your ass!"

"Exorcists! There's a building over there!" Chaoji shouted immediately, pointing at what looked like an apartment that wasn't too far from them.

All of them had rushed over there; everyone except Rue, that is. Her throat tightened painfully and she was well aware on how powerful Skinn was. Strangely, her Innocence was reacting to Skinn's thunder and she ignored the pain her power was giving off, her eyes focusing on her teammate's back.

"Kanda…!" Rue's voice sounded so odd, in half a shout and half a whisper, tightening her fists. The tone was calm but there was an underlying sense of despair and something else unknown hiding. "Whatever you do… Don't die… We… We already lost one teammate. And if you die on me, I'll make sure to drag you out from the afterlife and kill you myself. So, promise me you won't die!"

She turned around and ran after the others, being the last one to enter the door before it slammed shut.

_Heh, do I even need to say it? _Kanda thought over what his teammate had said, keeping calm for what else was to come. _Idiot shorty… I won't die._

oOo

"Why'd you stay behind like that? !" The moment Rue caught up with the others, Lavi yelled this out at her, grabbing her by the shoulders and looking straight into her face (or tried to as her bangs were into her eyes). "Are you crazy? ! What were you thinking? ! If you died when staying there longer than necessary…!"

"Lavi, don't do that…" Allen murmured anxiously, giving Rue an uneasy look. "Rue hasn't been feeling well lately, so you shouldn't be so rough…"

"That doesn't change the fact that it's dangerous!"

"Lavi, don't do that." Krory disapproved with a glower, shaking his head. "I know you're worried about Rue but this is a bit much…"

"Well, Lavi, don't you think she stayed behind for a moment because of Kanda?" Lenalee interjected as well, a displeased frown present. "He IS her teammate, after all. This probably would be the last time she'd see him alive and she needed to tell him something without regrets."

Hearing this had set off some sort of ire in Lavi. True, he understood Kanda and Rue were teammates and rivals. Yes, they were in the same unit. And as much as they were so stubborn towards each other, there was something undeniably there between them. But how could she do something so reckless? Did she care if she died? Did she have any idea how much worry she was causing him—

"Well, that's not a good reason to just do something like this. It's as if she's suicidal—"

"…Please… Let go of me."

All three of them turned to Rue, whose face was still unreadable. They saw that her body was rigid and her teeth looked like they were grounding together, almost as if she was snarling or holding something else back. The air she held around her felt untouchable, cold. Her voice when finally speaking was icy and flat, no tone or pitch whatsoever to make out any emotion.

"Rue…?" Lavi had his tirade cut short, his anger gone. Looking at her again, he wasn't sure what to feel now. Well, one thing was for sure: she succeeded to make him confused.

"Just… Let go."

There was no other choice but to obey her word as his grip on her shoulders slackened, his arms withdrawing back to either side of Lavi's torso.

"I'm sorry to make you worry over me like this," she continued talking softly, looking so far away. "but Lenalee is right. I had to say what I wanted to say to Kanda or else I'd regret it."

_Something's… Not right. _Allen and Lenalee thought together, anxious about their comrade. As she walked past them, they could finally see why. The eyes behind her bangs looked distant, deadened. It was presumptuous to even think she had nothing to live for but one could probably say this was true. This cold, lifeless look… What made it came back, really?

"…Let's go. We have no time to lose." Before anyone else could make anything out of those words, Rue ran. She ran, ran, and ran, never looking back and not even bothering to slow down to let them catch up.

_Don't die, Kanda. The thought of losing _him_ was enough to make me like this. So, please stay alive. _

_Riley… Would I ever find my purpose? Can I be able to protect someone without them disappearing from my life? What do I do?_

* * *

Hitomi: WHEW! Put it off long enough but I am FINALLY done! Anyway, I know the ending of this chapter was odd. Maybe out of character too. Perhaps it's just me wanting more tension between Lavi and Rue, especially when Lavi and the others don't know Rue's personality changed because of Daisya's death (and the factors such as Allen was close to dying, Lenalee being unable to use her Innocence, and now finding out indirectly that Tyki was Daisya's murderer). So, there we go. My apologies for it, though.

So, this chapter… Is somewhat Kanda x Rue centric. Somewhat. That's the reason why I put the chapter title like that and the reason why Kanda and Rue interacted with each other often in this chapter. Although it would be interesting to see them actually paired up but A) XD I already established long ago Kanda and Rue being paired up is just asking for the end of the world to happen and B) They're just too damn stubborn towards each other, so they fight often than not. I will say this, though: *GRIN* This would be very good material to finally trigger Lavi's jealousy since it's usually Rue being the jealous one, so…

I guess we'll see whether I'll go through with it or not. Either using this material for such or possibly, POSSIBLY, making a love triangle out of this. *SHOT* But I don't know. XD It just feels so weird pairing Kanda and Rue up because they're just so damn similar in many ways, so I might not go through with it! (And then, there's me being a sucker for Kanda x Alma due to their circumstances. *cough* Spoilers if you haven't read the manga.)

Also, the reason why I put that flashback between Rue and Riley in here was because it was a crucial point in Rue's life. The flashback took place when Rue was eight and Riley was fifteen, this was the time when they escaped from their assassin organization in Spain and fled to France. I made this in this chapter since A) In some ways, Daisya and Riley are similar in personality, B) Riley was the one who told Rue in the first place to find her purpose in life and break the chains of her assassin life before she joined the Black Order, C) It's not often I write about these two, so I didn't want to make it seem like I forgot Riley because I didn't, D) I never got into this time in Rue's life in full detail, so I thought to give you guys an inside scoop of it and E) This was really when she vowed to become stronger, as an assassin and otherwise, so she'd be able to protect somebody.

So now, Rue's deep in revenge… And Lavi's in conflict of his Bookman duties and what he really feels… Ohoho, what to do.

:D So, there you have it~ Took me a while to write due to writer's block, schoolwork, and stress but I made sure to make this chapter long for you guys to make up for it! ^^ Please continue supporting me and look forward to the next chapter!


	42. Omake Special Rue Marucut Interview

Hitomi: … *SHOT TO DEATH*

;.; I KNOW, I KNOW! I haven't updated for one Hell of a long time and you'd think by now I would write something Unravel related! DX You have no idea how busy my school life is, then! SO.

This is not an official chapter. This is an omake/filler! *SHOT* I know, I'm sorry! I appreciate all of your reviews and the alerts concerning the story, but I can't officially come back to it due to studying so much! So, the least I can do is write this for you.

This omake/filler was inspired by the DGM characters interview (Kanda, Allen and Lavi only!) in the DGM character book, Chara Gray! I find it unfair that they didn't give interviews to the other six who made in the top ten of the DGM popular character rankings inside the book (in order after Lavi: Lenalee, Miranda, Krory, Tyki, Road, Link, and Cross) since the three guys are the top three. So, I plan to make that a separate fanfic of its own. However, I'm going to have to do research based on the Chara Gray character profiles as well as the information provided in the Gray Ark artbook.

This is the Rue version of the interview since this story has her as one of the main characters. Due to being compressed for time, I am putting it in script format for now. If my schedule's not so busy, I'll put in proper prose format. Until then, this will have to do! XD A little warning, though: in the interviews of Kanda, Allen, and Lavi, all three of them interfered with each other's interviews (although I find it funny that Allen and Lavi were doing most of the answering for Kanda in his interview since he ain't the type to reveal information of himself). Expect this to be… Something unexpected too.

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

* * *

**Unravel**

**Omake Special**

**Rue Marucut Interview**

* * *

1. Birthday and Bloodtype?

Rue: …February 7th. AB.

Lavi: Wow, you and Yuu got the same bloodtype? ! *in shock*

Allen: *laughs nervously* It's no wonder Kanda and Rue are so similar in personality… *mumbles*

Rue: Did you say something? *gives Allen a blank stare*

Kanda: I dare you to say that again, Beansprout! *pissed*

Rue: …I'm not even past the first question and I'm already surrounded. *sighs* You two, stop fighting, please. Though I've a feeling you're not going to listen to me, anyway…

oOo

2. Country of Origin?

Rue: Unknown. I have no memories of my early life, so I don't have a clue at all whether I was born in France or the Philippines. At least I know where my parents came from in this way, so all's not lost.

Allen: Huh, how intriguing!

Lavi: Guess you're like me, then. Except the Bookmen travel a lot.

Kanda: …No wonder you tend to look spaced out when your background is concerned. *deadpan*

Rue: I am going to ignore you for that. *blank stare* Unlike you, Yuuri, I care to know where I come from.

Kanda: Shorty, don't call me by that stupid name!

Lavi: *snickers*

Allen: *confused*

oOo

3. Interests/Hobbies?

Rue: Traveling. Cooking. Drawing. Reading. Writing.

Allen: That's a lot, I'm surprised. I guess that's why you're out on missions often too.

Lavi: So, Rue likes cooking? *grins* Yet she tends to screw up in it all of the time…

Rue: Who asked you? *glares at Lavi* I don't make mistakes as much as I used to anymore, for your information.

Lavi: *winces* Touchy, are we?

Rue: Well, you brought it up. If you got nothing nice to say, don't say it at all.

Lavi: I was only kidding!

Kanda: …

Rue: …Kanda.

Kanda: I didn't even say anything. Now, stop glaring at me like that.

oOo

4. Rue's eyesight:

Rue: 2.0

Allen: Whoa, another similarity to Kanda?

Kanda: Stop comparing me to the shorty or you're gonna find Mugen shoved right up your—

Lavi: Language, Yuu!

Kanda: Fuck you, I can talk however I want, stupid rabbit! And you're next!

Rue: *totally ignoring*

oOo

5. Rue's strengths:

Rue: I am able to read through people by observation as well as keep my emotions under control. I am also used to armed and unarmed combat. This is all I will say about my strengths. Can't reveal too much now, can I?

oOo

6. Rue's weaknesses:

Rue: At times when emotions are too strong and I've already been through too much, I can't control my Innocence, as you've noticed from recent chapters. I don't get too close to people either until I know them better since I don't trust so easily. Again, can't reveal too much.

Lavi: You and Kanda are both scary. I don't even know who to be scared of more.

Rue: Should I take that as a compliment or an insult?

oOo

7. Childhood nickname:

Rue: Rafale has been a nickname of mine for as long as I remember. Despite it being a feminine noun for squall, I use it as a male alias to throw people off.

oOo

8. Favorite food:

Rue: No favorite food in particular.

Allen: That's impossible! *in shock, mouth agape*

Rue: No, really. It's hard to decide since Riley and Jerry cook well, so I'm opted to stay undecided on this. I have to admit I am biased on certain cuisine, though, but I can eat just about anything. Close your mouth, Allen, it doesn't suit you and you're supposed to be a gentleman.

oOo

9. Hated food:

Rue: Again, nothing in particular, just like the last question. The only thing I have a bone to pick with about food is when the flavor is too strong. I admit not to like bland food either.

oOo

10. Favorite Color:

Rue: I tend to pick dark shades of colors (like dark red or blue) and neutral colors too as I notice with my clothes. I don't like anything too bright, just bright enough to complement the dark or neutral colors, so it can stand out a bit. Nothing too flashy.

Allen: Sounds like you're picky like Lavi except he's picky with uniform design.

Rue: I'm not too picky with color, honestly. I have to admit, Lavi is pretty picky with his Exorcist uniform…

Lavi: I can hear you, you know!

oOo

11. How many hours of sleep do you normally get?

Rue: Depends when I'm on missions or not. Most of the time, I get six to eight hours of sleep. I can handle getting three to five hours of sleep too, but I'm going to need to go straight to bed when I'm done with my tasks and preferably if I've already eaten.

oOo

12. How to de-stress:

Rue: I make what I will with this as it ties into my interests/hobbies. I read books to escape to other worlds while traveling to places I haven't been. I draw to take out my stress too, General Tiedoll taught me it helps.

oOo

13. Things she must do every day:

Rue: Training, of course.

Lavi: Wow, I don't know how you, Allen, and Yuu can get enough energy to do that early!

oOo

14. Relaxing place:

Rue: I like quiet places. I'm usually found in the library, outside in the gardens or Hevlaska's chambers.

Allen: Huh, no wonder I can't find you when going in the library or outside to the gardens.

Lavi: Lost again, Beansprout, as always. *cheeky smile*

Allen: *puffs up cheeks* Shut up! And it's Allen!

oOo

15. Your type of boy?

Rue: …

Allen: Ah, her silence? It means it's impossible for us to know since she tends to regard males as either her companions or enemies. There's also the possibility she has no preference over what kinds of guys she likes or she doesn't know what she's looking for in a boy.

Lavi: *grins curiously* Oh? *mock pouts* That hurts. I thought I'd be her type.

Rue: …Don't give me that look, Lavi. I heard from your interview that Allen said you look for beautiful appearances in women while you responded you look for character and personality. *her glare looks like it's going to kill* You lied when you said that, don't deny it.

Lavi: *shivers* Shit… *blue with shock* I feel like I'm gonna die. Ehehe… *nervous smile* If I clarified that truthfully, will you get mad?

Rue: … *ignoring him completely, giving him the cold shoulder* I officially don't know you anymore, Lavi.

Lavi: Rue, don't be like that! I'm sorry, please don't be mad! *guilty*

Allen: Too late. *grinning widely* I warned you, Lavi, that you were going to make a girl mad one of these days because of that answer of yours.

Kanda: *now smirking a little* The stupid rabbit will finally keep quiet for a while now that the shorty's mad at him.

oOo

16. Sweets or salty food?

Rue: Both.

oOo

17. What she drinks often:

Rue: I tend to drink orange juice or fruit smoothies. However, I drink water most of the time.

oOo

18. What she must eat before a mission:

Rue: I know I said I had no particular favorite when it comes to food, but… If there's anything I must eat before a mission, I want smoked fish and sliced tomatoes mixed with salted egg as a side dish. I like eating rice with these things too, be it white rice or fried.

oOo

19. Happiest thing that ever happened to her:

Rue: I think it would have to be coming into the Black Order because it's changed me to be a different person than before. *nods* At least I can be proud of my personal growth.

Lavi: *snickers* Your height is something to be desired, though.

Rue: …Don't make me cut your tongue out. *death glare*

Lavi: Urk… She's still mad at me…

oOo

20. Thing that angers her most:

Rue: …The Noah, the Earl, and the Akuma. Specifically, Daisya's death and what went on when we were in Edo and the Ark. *dark aura*

Allen: Yeah, we were really concerned about you during those times.

Rue: Sorry about that. Still… No matter what, I need to avenge Daisya's death and whatever harm the Noah did to you guys.

Allen: I know and I can't stop you. Um, isn't there anything else to add in here, though?

Rue: *confused* Like what?

Allen: *grins* That Kanda and Lavi piss you off?

Rue: …I won't deny that. *sighs, shakes her head* They really anger me in different ways. I will not specify how or why. Let them figure it out for themselves.

Kanda and Lavi: Oy, Beansprout! *mad*

Allen: What? ! You know it's true, so it needed to be said!

oOo

21. When she can't sleep:

Rue: Training or stargazing. It helps that Kanda's up as early as I am, so we tend to train together often.

oOo

22. What she absolutely must try at least once before she dies:

Rue: Traveling to many places, so I can discover new things and people. It'll give me inspiration to draw and write more.

oOo

23. Do you like money?

Rue: It's a necessity, so it's important. Besides… *looks annoyed for a brief moment* A _certain someone_ won't stop his gambling habit, so I have to be really, really strict about that. *very dark aura*

Kanda: …Tch, what the Hell is this?

Lavi: Eh? *in dread, nervous grin* Rue, don't tell me you're related to General Cross or something.

Allen: Oh, please say it isn't so! *has gone pale*

Rue: To my relief, no, I can truly say I am not related to General Cross or I'll have a bone to pick with that, so don't worry so much. I'm just… Referring to my brother. Not Kuya Jericho, though.

(Somewhere in France or elsewhere, on a mission, Riley Locsin is sneezing.)

oOo

24. What would you do if you got 100 guineas? [1 guinea = approx. 20 thousand yen]

Rue: Probably I'll save it on the side in case of emergency rations… And hide it from Riley while I'm at it too… *mutters this under her breath*

oOo

25. A fight just started before your eyes. What action would you take?

Rue: Depends on the people, really. I either stay out of it or come in to make peace when it goes too far. If it's Kanda, though… I'm definitely stopping it. The guy doesn't know how to restrain himself from his violent impulses.

Kanda: Che! Are you trying to pick a fight with me, shorty? !

Rue: No, Yuuri. I'm just being honest.

Allen: Kanda, no picking fights with a female! That's ungentlemanly!

Kanda: Stuff it, beansprout! The shorty's not even ladylike, anyway!

Rue: *twitches, rubbing her temples to relax*

Lavi: Now, now, let's calm down…

Allen and Kanda: Who asked you? ! *both now have Crown Clown and Mugen out, dark auras* Stay out of it unless you want a death wish, Lavi!

Lavi: *in a corner* I was only trying to help…

oOo

26. Attitude towards uniform design:

Rue: No skirts or wholly feminine designs, please.

Lavi: *pouts* That's too bad. I was wondering how you would look like in skirts and dresses.

Rue: … *gives him a death glare*

Lavi: *gulps* Forget what I just said!

Allen: Lavi, don't push it…

oOo

27. A must bring for missions:

Rue: Daggers. I've used them for as long I can remember when growing up, so I'd like to keep them with me, even though they won't help me kill Akuma or Noah.

oOo

28. Words to Komui:

Rue: Sir Komui, I respect you and you are a good person. However, as much as I understand your circumstances, please don't be so overprotective of Lenalee. If you build those inventions again and it ends up destroying the Order again, I am going to be disappointed. Don't be lazy and do your own work because the Science Department have a lot to put up with and you're supposed to be the supervisor! One last thing… I am still not going to forgive you for intentionally putting me in General Tiedoll's team just to make Kanda and I get along.

Allen: Are you sure you really respect him…?

Kanda: I'm still mad at him for that too… Tch, stupid sis-con supervisor!

oOo

29. Words to Hoshino-sensei:

Rue: Miss Hoshino, I thank you for creating this story of yours. Without it, my own writer/creator wouldn't have made me. She worked hard to make me different from her other characters, so I'm glad you gave her a challenge.

oOo

30. Lastly, smile for the readers!

Rue: Eh…? This is referred to the DGM fans for the canon characters and I'm just an OC… Although this is Unravel and I'm one of the main characters, so…

Lavi: C'mon, I know you want to smile~

Rue: No. *stubborn*

Lavi: Don't be like that! *smiles* You're just bashful about it!

Rue: No, I'm not! *turns away, hiding a blush on her face*

Kanda: *takes out Mugen* Stupid rabbit, stop annoying the shorty about nonsense! And shorty, quit looking like a tomato!

Allen: *smirks* What, Kanda's jealous?

Kanda: What was that, beansprout? !

Lavi: Ehehe… Now, now, Kanda… I know you're protective of Rue here, much as you don't want to admit, but…

Kanda: …FIRST ILLUSION: HELL'S INSECTS! *pissed*

Allen and Lavi: GYAAAAAAH! KANDA, YOU ASSHOLE!

Rue: There they go again… *sighs, puts earplugs in her ears* Thank you for very much for this interview. *salutes*

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Hitomi: Urk… I feel it may not be my best, writing humor like this… At least I had fun with it, though! I just hope you guys liked it!

Ummm… I'd also like to thank you again for your support and for not giving up on this fanfic. I'm sorry it's taking me so long to update this let alone finish, but I hope you'll stick with me until the end.

In the meantime, I shall seriously write out the real chapter and take my time with it because there's gonna be a lot going on. I hope you'll look forward to it!


	43. Strength Born out of Pain

Hitomi: XD Ahhh, don't kill me! I'm very, very, very sorry! *HIDES*

Already explained my reasons why I've been away from the fanfiction world in my mini series for this fanfic, Unravel: The Secret Files. Not repeating myself. Besides, don't you know how long it took me to finally write this damn thing after being away for months?!

Anyway... I'm back. BUT. My updates will still be sporadic. BUT hopefully not as long as I took this damn hiatus. It was about time I got around to writing this story again, anyway, after real life, lost inspiration, and writer's block kicked my butt hard! So, let me just say my infinite apologies.

Oh yeah, warning? XD Given on how long I've not been writing for this fic... T.T||||| My writing will possibly-most likely in my opinion, anyway-suck.

ANYWAY.

Enjoy, read, and review if you want! I'm sorry if I kept you guys waiting!

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**Disclaimer**: I do not own D . Gray-Man, Hoshinou Katsura-sensei does. The only thing(s) I do own in here would be my OC(s).

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**Unravel**

**LXII**

**Strength Born out of Pain**

「_Don't think._

_Don't feel._

_Just do._」

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She felt herself flipping between moods. Her boiling blood clashed with her calm state of mind. Her fever was still present as her face felt unnaturally warm, but she had no time for that, she needed to focus on the situation at hand. While she may be physically present, she was somewhere else mentally.

Perhaps, she was trying not to let doubts get to her.

How could she not, after everything she had been through? And after leaving Kanda behind to take care of Skinn Boric, her anxiety skyrocketed beneath her neutral expression.

Rue knew Allen, Lenalee, and Krory were trying to get her attention and she nodded faintly, as if to signify that she was with them. However, there was no question feeling the burning of stares from behind her. If she were to guess, it would have to be Chaoji and possibly Lavi silently questioning her condition – mentally and verbally, of course.

However, what she didn't expect at all was the floor of the Ark to collapse on the floor they were in. She had to be too calm about it for her comrades were panicking and they almost lost Chaoji, if not for Allen's Clown Belt. So, the next thing she knew was finding herself on Krory's—or rather, Lenalee's—back as they blasted their way through the corridor, no doubt from Krory's consumption of Akuma blood.

Flying in through a window and dropping the three males, Krory stood up, letting Lenalee and Rue get off his back safely. Once the guys recovered from their painful landing, they began to look at their surroundings like everyone else.

Another room, another battle. Chaos was everywhere within the Ark's library.

They had gone after Allen first, trying to shoot him with their guns, apparently pissed off that General Cross also left them a debt. Luckily, as good shots as they are, Allen had been able to dodge. Now, he made his move as Clown Belt was summoned, temporarily subduing Jasdero and Debitto by sending them flying into the bookshelves.

_So, the bullets have an ability._ Rue noted once Allen had told her and the rest of her comrades. She flexed a wrist, Lifeline glowing a light green, ready to manipulate the air to her will. _Best be careful on not to get hit, then._

She can feel stares focusing on her briefly, but she paid no mind. Up until now, she had kept quiet ever since Lavi's confrontation towards her earlier when they left Kanda to Skinn. She planned to keep it that way for her feelings didn't matter, her comrades' concern over her was misplaced.

She was fine.

In declaration of battle, the Noah of Bonds began to shoot their blue bullets in rapid firing, sending Allen avoiding the shots to the best of his ability. Where the blue bullets landed had turned parts of the shelves into ice. The other Exorcists were on full alert now, ready to fight and jump in to help their comrade if need be. Poor Allen's face blanched as the twins loaded red bullets, sending fireballs his way.

Managing to make one disappear with Cross Grave, the other one was heading towards his direction. Lenalee's eyes went wide while Rue gritted her teeth. Thankfully, Lavi and Krory had interfered, shoulder to shoulder with each other.

"You bastards don't only aim..."

"At Allen!" With Lavi's hammer and Krory's strength, the fireball was deflected.

"Home run." They glared at the two Noah. "Don't ignore us!"

"Wah, they returned it?!"

"Hee, it's coming this way!"

Back to back, Jasdebi loaded up their guns.

"White Bomb!"

This time, white bullets came flying out, aiming at the giant fire sphere. At once, it disappeared, almost as if it had never existed in the first place.

Rue sucked in a sharp breath, eyes narrowed as she heard her male comrades voiced out their surprise from a distance. Currently, she was with Lenalee and Chaoji. Lenalee and Chaoji were clearly stunned too.

"How did they do that...!?" Chaoji was unable to shake off his awe.

"I don't know," Lenalee observed, frowning at the situation, "they look like regular guns to me. Maybe they're special devices?"

_The elements...? So it seems. Lenalee makes a point that they look like ordinary guns, though..._ Rue thought, her glare focused on the Noah, a fist clenched. _Definitely need to be careful. Even though they are not the Noah I seek, I still need to help everyone here. If I couldn't help Kanda with Skinn, if I had been lacking due to sickness and unconsciousness this whole time, then I should... I should..._

Out of the corner of her eye, Lenalee eyed her best friend with a small frown.

_Rue hasn't said anything since..._ As the older girl recalled Lavi trying to call Rue out from wherever she was, the other girl had not responded in her usual way. _Her mind and her heart are elsewhere, I just know it._

_What are you thinking? What are you feeling? What's wrong, Rue...?_

While Lero had been quietly snickering on the Exorcists' dilemma of not knowing Jasdebi's true power, it occurred to the talking pumpkin umbrella that there was still something to be done.

"Wait, Jasdebi! What about the orders from the Millennium Earl to capture General Cross?!"

His question was answered with raining bullets, causing him to scream in terror and dodge.

"Who are you running to, idiot?" Gun still smoking, Debitto glowered at Lero, his voice sharp. "Wanna be an umbrella full of holes?!"

Jasdero shrieked, "We looked for Cross all over Edo and he was nowherr to be found! You damned, raddled umbrella, hee!"

While this caught Allen's attention, making him wonder where his master was, the two Noah kept at their rant, all fired up.

"The Millennium Earl said that bastard Cross's target was the Ark. So, we bet that he is going to show up here, where we're waiting for him!" They both pointed at Allen, feeling themselves building up in rage. "But this is all right! Until it happens, we're going to kill time with his student! And while we're at it, we'll make him repay the debts that bastard left us!"

It was then Allen had gone white with shock. With a far cry from the back of his mind, he should've expected this, his Master leaving debt wherever he goes. But the mere fact that he even left such a thing even to his enemy, the Noah clan, was horrifyingly astounding in itself. Krory and Lavi too were in disbelief, staring at their enemy with looks that can be summed up like this: "You have got to be joking."

Meanwhile, the Noah of Bonds kept at their rambles. They proceeded to call General Cross a demon when it came to his debts. According to them, he owed them one hundred guinea or, if converted, twenty thousand dollars. They swore they would make Allen pay for his debts, no matter what.

With how loud Jasdebi were venting, Rue was rubbing her temples, her face a blank, hard stare. Now, she realized why Allen and Lavi freaked out when Krory told them General Cross owed him money. She made a mental note never to lend General Cross money for that was the last thing she needed to deal with. One money moocher in her life was more than enough to handle as it was!

_God help me if Riley ends up as an ally to the Black Order..._ She thought darkly, her hands twitching like she had the urge to strangle someone, much to the worry of Lenalee and fear of Chaoji. _And now that I think about it, he still owes me. That fool...!_

"Debts to the enemy... I have no idea what to say." (Krory)

"It's no wonder they're angry..." (Lavi)

It was then they realized Allen had gone still the whole time this rant had gone on.

"Whoa, what happened to Allen?!"

"The word 'debts' seem to have done some damage to him too!"

They all heard the British Exorcist mumbling to himself on the Noah's debt, shaking and twitching as he did. It was only a matter of time that he had slipped to his dark side, figurative-or depending on your imagination, literal-horns popping out of his head. Lavi in particular was afraid Dark Allen came out, having been the one to try to snap his friend out of it, feeling that ominous aura.

"A one hundred guinea debt, ahaha..." Allen's gave Jasdebi a look so steely, it would be an equivalent of a knife. Feeling his blood boiling, he snapped at them. "So what if you have to pay small change like that?!"

"Whaaaat?!" Taken aback, the Noah grew angrier at his statement, death glares all around.

"If you compare it to my debts...!"

"Small change?!"

"We'll kill you, hee!"

"Besides... My Master isn't like an ordinary kind of demon!" With long ago memories consuming him, Allen was off with a tirade of his own. He pointed a gloved finger at them in menace, his glare clearly seeing red. "He's really a true demon, nothing can ever compare! If you want to deal with him, you better not be prepared with less than that, got it?!"

All they could do was go silent from his outburst, Exorcist and Noah alike. Jasdebi just stared at him as if he grew a second head. Lavi slumped over in defeat, having seen enough ugliness. Krory went paler than usual, not being able to believe what just happened. Lenalee, Chaoji, and Lero honestly didn't know what to think now except to never piss Allen off when it came to debts and his master ever again. As for Rue, even she had chills down her spine, never mind the fact this was something she and Allen had in common!

The quiet then was filled with laughter from the Noah.

"Don't fuck with us!" They shot their Red Bomb, an explosion coming forth. Allen had been able to back away on time, but it was hard to see at the moment. Immediately, another trick was up their sleeves as thr loaded their guns with purple bullets. "Purple Bomb!"

Crown Clown on the ready, with the claw fully invoked, Allen had used Edge End. The swipe of his claw sent a blast of full strength towards Jasdebi. He jumped up their pedestal in the middle of the room; However, what wasn't expected was the Noah in puppet form.

"Got you, idiot!" They shouted in triumph, sending a blast of purple on Allen's eyes. Soon, one by one, the rest of the Exorcists had their eyes covered with the same substance.

"What is this?!" Krory demanded, bewildered as everyone else was.

"Deceiving Glasses."

"You can't see us anymore, ahaha!"

"Tch, where'd they go?!" Lavi looked around, his gaze alert and his teeth gritted together.

"Everyone, look at the floor!" Lenalee called to their attention, her eyes wide.

Below them were hundreds, if not thousands, of keys all over.

"A mountain of keys... Since when...?" Chaoji looked lost, holding lots of keys in his arms.

"They look like our-"

"...Damn!" Like Lenalee, Lavi had realized the same thing she did. Rue concluded such thoughts in her head as well, swearing.

With a sinking feeling in her stomach, Lenalee gave Allen a tense look. "Allen, do you still have our key?!"

"It's not here?!" He checked the pockets of his coat, finding every single one of them empty. "It's not with me anymore!"

"That's too bad." Debitto said, nonchalant but taunting.

Jasdero was cackling, "We've hidden your precious exit key, hee hee!"

"We can't see our opponents and our key. Aren't we in trouble?" As Lavi said this, he had his guard up like everyone else, his hammer on the ready. With Chaoji having no weapon to defend himself, the Exorcists were gathered in a circle, guarding him while looking out for each other in case their enemy assaulted.

"These Noah!" Allen ran his right hand through his hair, scowling. "What the Hell is their ability?!"

_I guess I was wrong, after all._ Rue grimaced, trying to keep focus. _So, it's not entirely elements... Damn, we have to get out of this mess, somehow!_

She heard something zapping, coming from her left hand. Deathtrap was emitting a purple aura, a hint of sparks flying about. She winced and clutched her left hand, putting her focus in Lifeline to form earth. Sure enough, a mound of dirt formed from the white glove and she sprinkled it all over the black glove. It seemed to have worked for the flashing stopped. But that didn't mean the pain went away, she felt bits of shock every now and then, making it barely tolerable.

_My Innocence really has been off the radar lately ever since we entered the Ark. Another element..._ She bit down her lip, smoothing her face as much as possible, so not to give away any indication of hurt. _It's too soon for that, after everything that's happened. And even if it was, I'm getting hurt here and I'm the accommodator._

_Damn it. I'm still sick and weak. I still don't know what happened to me in Norway. My Innocence is hurting me, which never happened before. I mustn't lose my strength and energy... I mustn't. I have to get my vengeance and... And..._

From his peripheral vision, Lavi caught Rue's movement. Although her back was to him, he observed the way she moved her hands. A frown made its way to his face when he saw how tight her grip was on her left hand.

_Is she hurt? Odd, she hasn't been able to battle once ever since we met up in Edo. But if she is... How can that be? Rue's been... Strange this whole time. Even when I confronted her after we left Yuu, she wasn't..._ Despite the vow of detachment, he still had worrying thoughts of her. At least he should be able to have such a small mercy if he was not allowed to associate with her physically. Even though he shouldn't think about her, he was still unable to stop himself. _Why won't you say what's on your mind? _

_When have you stopped feeling?_

With the odds stacked against them and the silence unnerving them to wits' end, the Exorcists (and Lero) began to freak out.

"The paint on my eyes, I can't remove it!" (Lavi)

"Why Lero too? Why Lero too?!" (Lero)

"Don't wipe yourself on my clothes, you bastard!" (Chaoji, to Lero)

"Damn, such a troublesome opponent!" (Krory)

"I'm sorry; letting them stealing the key became the biggest mistake of my life." (Allen)

"Don't be so depressed, Allen." (Lenalee)

_...My patience is honestly wearing thin with this stupid farce...!_ (Rue)

"Didn't they say that the paint on our eyes are called 'Deceiving Glasses'?" When Allen had answered a yes, Lenalee continued on with her explanation, having figured out what was going on. "All of those keys on the floor... Though their shape and weight is about the same as the one we have, they might be just an illusion. Meaning, 'There is only one key on the floor; the mountain of keys that conceal it!' I wonder if it just isn't our eyes deceiving us."

"...I see." Lavi got it as well, astounded that he hadn't thought of that.

_Sound explanation, Lenalee. _Rue thought with a small nod of approval. _That would make sense._

"Hee hee! That's right, hee!" Despite the emptiness all around the Exorcists, Jasdero's voice was clearly heard. "You'll be annihilated here, right in front of the exit you've been struggling to get to!"

Perhaps with an unseen sneer, Debitto joined in, taking in the Exorcists' despair as his amusement as he said, "The real key is lying right there! If you want to pick it up, just pick it up. But try to find it through our 'Deceiving Glasses'!"

"Bastards!" Lavi said with a growl, teeth exposed and gritted together as he tightened his grip on the hammer.

"And to deceive your eyes further, the ones deceiving you, Jasdebi, have vanished too! Hee hee!"

"Damn it..." With his eyebrows twitching, Allen's mouth formed into a thin line.

"JUST DIE ALREADY!"

They were unable to anticipate the attack fast enough. A circle of fireballs surrounded them and blasted a heat wave around them. They were able to barely dodge in time for that Chaoji's back was burnt badly, according to Lenalee.

_Edge End!_

"They are still somewhere in this room, right...?" Readying his Innocence, Allen unleashed powerful swipes, causing colossal damage in the library. "In that case, I'll drag them out!"

"Where are you aiming, idiot?!" The Noah shouted with amusement, blasting a green bullet, which formed into a giant drop of goo. "Green Bomb!"

Seeing Allen get consumed into the blob, Lavi panicked and went straight into action.

"Eh... I can't breathe...!"

"Wait, I'll get you out of there right now! Fire Seal!"

From a short distance, Lenalee, Krory, Rue, and Chaoji were on the side. The fire had been put from Chaoji's back, but his skin had been burnt. Feeling there should be something she should do to relieve his pain, Rue summoned water from her Innocence, concentrating on healing his back. Though she was still new to it, she was trying to do her best to harness her power.

"Though we can see their attacks, we don't know where they're coming from." Chaoji observed, sighing as he felt the coolness of the water on his back.

_That means if we can't see where they're coming from, we'll have to use our other senses. _Rue concluded, manipulating the water under her palms as she closed her eyes. _Looks like I'll have to concentrate on that too... Now, where can they be?_

"What are we going to do?!" Lenalee looked to Krory, noticing the Romanian Exorcist had gone silent. "Krory?"

"Shhh. Please be a little more quiet, young lady." Krory said in a whisper with a finger to his lips, a look of concentration crossing his face.

Allen and Lavi were now planning out on how to deal with the Noah for the meantime.

"Allen, please let me take care of the 'Deceiving Glasses'. Until I find the real key you should protect Lenalee and the others with Krorykins and Rue."

"Eh?! But Lavi, how will you find the key?!"

"That's my job, you know." There was a confident grin spreading on the Bookman apprentice's face. "The scratches, the dirt, all the patterns on the plating of the real key were recorded in my head ever since I first saw it. There's no way glasses like this can deceive the successor of Bookman!"

"All right, please find it within one minute!" It was comical to see Allen being serious as he was when he said this.

"Impossible!"

"As soon as you find the key, take Lenalee ad Chaoji and leave for the exit. I'll throw Krory and Rue through the door immediately after." Allen's gaze became focused, ready to make the plan possible. "I leave it to you, Lavi."

"Allen...!"

"BLUE BOMB!"

A shot of blue flew towards Allen, in which he had put up his arms as a way to shield himself.

"Allen!"

"Find...!" By now, the white haired Exorcist was struggling under the Blue Bomb's power, feeling he couldn't hold it off long before he would turn into a human popsicle. "The key... Lavi!"

Before the blue aura could fully form, Krory shattered the ice. In addition, streaks of fire targeted and melted the chunks, Rue doing so while she was barely able to stand.

"I heard you, kid." Krory mumbled, shooting Allen a glare from the corner of his eye. "Throw me through the exit...?"

"Ah, you were listening?" Allen asked with a nervous smile.

"Honestly. Whether it's redhead brats or Noah brats..." Krory grabbed the younger Exorcist by the wrist; then, before any one of the others could react, the older, vampire-like Exorcist threw him into one of the bookshelves. "You're all just cheeky brats!"

"It hurts!" Allen said with a whine as he landed back first in a pile of books. "Is it really good to get mad like this, Krory?"

"Serves you right." After having not spoken for a while, it was about Rue said something, giving Allen a blank stare. "Planning to throw me through an exit too? What did I ever do to you? You DID say before I wasn't feeling well and damn right I'm not in the mood right now."

"Aw, Rue, I'm sorry! I almost forgotten about t-"

"IT HURTS!"

"Hee, white haired bastard, it hurts! Hee!"

Allen was interrupted as he heard the Noah of Bonds' voices quite nearby him.

"Hee!"

"I'll kill you!"

"Eh...!?" Now, he was beginning to realize it. "Jasdebi?!"

"Duck, kid!"

At the same time Allen had ducked, Krory launched himself to the bookshelf, giving a strong punch. He dodged to make room as Rue, taking advantage of the vast space, twirled air with Deathtrap and Lifeline, hurling wind blades at the seemingly empty space.

"Cro...!"

There was a sharp glare in Krory's eyes, knowing. Rue growled, on the prowl for Noah blood.

"Tsk! They dodged? I should've thrown you harder."

"Damn it, Krory, my winds blades weren't able to target them."

"Krory, Rue, could it be that you can see Jasdebi?" Allen blinked at them in surprise.

"Of course not. In case I had not been able to seen my opponents, I had been trained to use my other senses if one of them is at a disadvantage." Rue sighed, scowling. "Hmph... I need my target practice."

"No. Hah, for some reason, I know where they are." There was a dark aura around Krory, a wild grin on his face. "I want to bite them to death and my blood is getting excited... Bwahahahaha!"

"I don't think that's something a human would ever say, Krory." Allen pointed out in earnest.

Revealing locks of blond hair in his hand, Krory said with a smirk, "Follow what I say and we will beat those kids, Allen."

"Hair...?" Allen blinked in surprise, wondering where it came from.

At another part of the library, the Noah felt like they were cornered. While contemplating on their next move, they were fussing amongst themselves.

"Dero's pretty golden hair, hee!" Jasdero whispered, tears streaming down his face.

"That old vampire man, it's like he knew where we were." Debitto murmured, not liking how the tables have turned. "That boy... Or girl... Too. Whatever. That androgynous Exorcist is also acute in his or her senses too. That's dangerous. Jasdero! Stop crying and put yourself together!"

"Hee hee! Dero's pretty hair...!"

"I'll buy you new hair! Let's go on a rampage, Jasdero!"

"Really?!" The blond Noah looked at his counterpart, tears flowing freely.

"Yeah." The dark haired Noah said with a faint smile, not knowing the horrors that awaited behind him AKA Krory and Rue. But he had sensed it right at the last minute, dodging Krory's landing and Rue's wind blade with a jump. By then, the two Noah were able to hop away to safety high up above. "Whoops! They're dead accurate!"

"I won't let you escape!" Krory declared.

Unhesitatingly, the Noah shot their Red Bombs, igniting an explosion.

What they didn't expect was for Krory to do the next best thing. Despite being Exorcist enemies, the two Noah were still surprised.

"WHOA!"

"Amazing! He's vertically running up the bookshelves! Amazing!"

"Target locked!" Rue said with a shout, unsheathing her daggers as she used wind from her Innocence to throw at the Noah, pinning them by their clothes.

"Allen!" Krory yelled, still keeping his senses focused. "Right in front of you!"

It was too late for them to react for Allen had both his hands outstretched to pin the invisible Noah by the necks.

"Wah!" Sure enough, Allen could see solid white shadows from where he was holding Debitto and Jasdero. "I... I can't see them, but I can definitely feel them in my hands... This feels strange."

While he kept them in place on the bookshelves, Rue retrieved her daggers with haste, sheathing them. Before she stepped back, she gave the Noah a harsh glare, which brought chills down their spines.

"Why are you so quiet?" Krory asked them, his voice stern.

While this happened, Lavi on the pedestal where the Noah once stood, activating his Innocence.

"Wood Seal."

There were six Wood Seals surrounding the pillar, creating a tornado in the middle of the room. Lenalee, Chaoji, and Lero watched on. The mountain of keys were getting sucked in, as observed by Lero.

"Hurry up, Lavi!"

"I'm sorry you had to hold them there like that." Krory said in response to Allen's statement.

_Lavi... We're counting on you. _Rue thought with her eyes closed, somehow lulled by the sound of the wind.

With a seventh Wood seal at the top of the pillar, Lavi looked up, ready to fulfill the task given to him.

_With the recording eyes of the next Bookman, I will find the real key!_

After some coughing subsided, Lenalee, Chaoji, and Lero noticed the keys all but disappeared. They were able to see the floor again. When they looked up, a wind sphere now sat on top of the pedestal, Lavi and keys inside. Within the air globe, Lavi saw thousands of keys scattering around him, seeing this was going to be a daunting task.

_Well, then... _He thought with a firm mindset. _It won't be too fast with only my left eye, but...!_

"What? That guy is a relative of Bookman?" Debitto asked, looking nonchalant. It was about time Allen, Krory, and Rue had heard them talk. "Eh, it's no wonder that he's here right now."

"...Huh?" Allen looked at them with wide eyes, unable to tell what they were talking about.

"But the red hair that brings Cross to mind is irritating, right? Hee!" Leave it to Jasdero to bring up an old issue.

"Yeah, it is, I'm getting so pissed off!"

"Dero is all muddled! My pure heart was tainted with a grudge towards Cross! Hee!"

"And the student that won't even repay the debts!"

"Pay now, you stupid student!"

"Who's paying?!" With all of this babble, Allen felt his blood boiling all over again.

"Don't worry, Allen. I'll end this quickly." Krory said, a dark shadow over him as he cracked his knuckles. "Just hold onto those brats tightly."

"Ah, yes!"

"You really do know how to get on everyone's nerves, don't you?" The voice of Rue cut through the chatter, her eyes a frosty glare. "Noah are really irritating, after all."

When Allen felt his hands were grabbed, it was not by Jasdebi. Instead, they were replaced by a giant blob with eyes, its body shaped by skulls and it had legs of its own. Allen was screaming in horror as he got sucked in while Krory and Rue, too, joined him.

"What the Hell is that?!"

"My... My fangs have no effect!"

"Tch...! Another childish trick?!"

"Hehe, idiots, idiots." Debitto said as he pulled down his lower eyelid and stuck out his tongue.

"Bleh, bleh!" Jasdero joined in with the childish banter.

"Eat them 'Jasdebi's Grude'!"

On command, the blob opened its mouth, about to lead the three into their impending doom.

"Wait...!" (Krory)

"Are you kidding me...?!" (Allen)

"Shit, that is absolutely..." (Rue)

They were being consumed, though they still struggling through the muck and skulls. They heard a familiar voice shouting from below.

"Allen, Krory, Rue!"

"Lenalee!" Chaoji was also heard, trying to stop Lenalee from approaching.

"Allen!" Upon sight, she had found him, at least. Allen looked and saw the Chinese girl approaching them.

"Lenalee...!? Don't come any closer!" Allen said, his voice loud and tense.

Lenalee heard a crack and found herself falling to the floor, face first. She looked over to see her legs; her beautiful, strong but now poor legs all bandaged up ever since her travels on the way to Edo.

"Move... Move...! You are my legs...! SO, MOVE!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, not liking the feeling of helplessness that consumed her.

"Can't move?" Debitto asked as he covered her mouth with one hand, putting his likely loaded gun to her head. On the other side of her was Jasdero, ensuring that she wouldn't be able to escape. "That's great! We're not even sure of that old vampire's whereabouts, you know? The same goes for the genderless Exorcist."

"You can be our shield, hee hee!" Jasdero was delighted at this prospect. The Exorcists wouldn't dare risk to hurt their comrade now, would they?

"We got the princess!"

When Allen heard this, there was a feral look in his eyes that was never seen before. A loud bang was heard. While the Noah locked up Lenalee in a bubble like prison, they saw Allen's Crown Clown piercing up from the animated goo.

"Let her go..."

Now, Allen was standing on his own feet, the monster blob behind him had a hole in its body. Crown Clown was glowing, reacting to his emotions.

"JUST LET LENALEE GO!"

"Hee!"

_Ooh, we got this guy pissed? _With a grin, Debitto welcomed what Allen had in store for them. "Come, student!"

Not needing to be told twice, Allen gave powerful blow that would've surely sliced them. Alas, he missed while the two Noah carried the bubble away, Lenalee calling his name.

"We've got an even more intense situation for you!"

"Laughing, but this time, he was really pissed off! The Millennium Earl!" As soon as Jasdero spoke those words, the Millennium Earl materialized out of nowhere. Allen had barely been able to keep up with the pace, step siding as the "Millennium Earl" landed a powerful blow on the floor with his sword.

_An illusion...? _Allen's thought were racing now, jumping up onto the Earl's back and bouncing off to land behind him. He saw how destructive his strength was, seeing how the sword split the floor into rubble. _His power's the real deal..._

In blinding speed, the Earl was able to close the distance between them, Allen now needing to avoid and block every slash he dished out.

"Argh, damn it! I don't get it!" Now, the British Exorcist wasn't sure what to believe.

_This isn't the real Earl, lero. _Lero thought to himself, grinning all the while. _This is the "Millennium Earl from the time he was laughing but is actually really pissed" who was born through Jasdebi's imagination, lero. The power of the twins is "materialization." It works when Jasdero and Debitto imagine the same thing at the same time! Whatever they both imagine materializes into reality-lero! (For the Blue Bomb, they just need to think about "ice"!)_

"Let me out!" Lenalee banged her hands onto the bubble contraption, having quite a glare. "Let me out of here right now!"

"Hee! Scary!" When Jasdero had tried to stop her, he got hit by one of her punches.

"Shut up and calm down, you damned woman! Want me to rape you, huh?!" Debitto barked out, glaring in return. Once Lenalee quit her tirade for a moment, Debitto flipped the bird at her, sticking out his tongue too. "Honestly, we don't care about any of you; as long as we beat up Allen Walker, that's good enough. So, shut up and let us use you, idiot. Or should we get rid of you?"

Once she heard this, she gave one hard punch to Debitto through the bubble.

"Debi!" Once seeing his twin thrown back by the Chinese Exorcist's punch, he knew they were messing with the wrong girl.

"You..." Lenalee felt her cheeks and neck flush with heat, glaring at them. "You shouldn't treat people's lives like toys. It's as though you're still kids, even though we're about the same age...! You're simply fools trying to look strong!" For someone who treats this as a kid's game, Allen, who knows the importance of life, is a lot, lot stronger than you!"

"Lenalee!" Encouraged and touched by her words, Allen was still barely keeping up with the illusion Earl. He aimed his Innocence at the first Noah's stomach, trying his best to eliminate him. "Move, Earl! Cross Grave!"

Once he saw the Earl's sword approaching him downwards, he was able to avoid it.

"Tsk...!" _Even though I hit him directly, he was unaffected?!_

"That fat ass...!" Now that Krory was able to recover himself, he went to make his move. Punching the Earl's sword, making a landing, he grabbed the hilt. In effort, he had flipped himself while still gripping the sword hilt, kicking the Millennium Earl straight in the face, to no effect. While this went on, fire balls were hurled from another direction, coming from Rue.

Seeing that the Earl was distracted, Allen had gone back to make another direct approach.

"EDGE END!"

That, too, had no use. Dark orbs surrounded Allen, Krory, and Rue. Then, the black spheres shocked the three, the Earl emitting such power from his hands. It got them to fall down, weak from the shock. Just when it looked like he was going to slice them with his sword, he just skipped off his merry way.

"I just don't understand this... He's too tough..." (Allen)

"Damn it! Even with that kind of body, he's so durable!" (Krory)

"...Are we even going to make it out alive?" (Rue)

"Even though it's not the real Earl, carelessness will get you killed-lero!" Now, the talking pumpkin umbrella decided to make this fact known, much to the chagrin of the three Exorcists.

_Ah, so he isn't real, after all...!_

"This thing is a hindrance, but we must find a way to rescue Lenalee." Allen said, the three getting up to their feet.

"Here it comes!" Krory shouted, seeing the Earl bounce their way over to them.

"Let's do this." Rue said, Innocence glowing.

Lenalee was now bruised, turning and keeling over as she started coughing. A clack from a gun was a giveaway; most likely, Debitto had tortured her with bullets.

"I won't hear you making fun of us a second time, all right?" Debitto said, feeling himself restraining from giving into his anger completely. "What's with this 'Allen is stronger'! Look over there, he's getting beaten."

"Gyahaha, he's seriously getting it!" Jasdero said with a raucous laugh.

Allen ended up with his back slammed to a bookshelf. Already, Krory and Rue were there before him.

"Damn it...!" Rue banged a fist on the floor, coughing violently. "This isn't going to get us anywhere!"

"What are you doing, kid?!" With a palm to his forehead, Krory was trying to catch his breath. "Can't you hurry up and get to where our princess is?!"

"Then, please to restrain the Earl properly, Krory." Allen said, wincing in pain.

"Sorry. Even with my full strength, it's challenging." All of them getting up, Krory could feel a vein pop. "Somehow, you have to get there."

Allen sighed and nodded, knowing they had no other choice.

"He'll definitely... Get here..." Lenalee whispered. As she continued to speak, her voice became stronger. "It may not look so... But he has a superhuman willpower... HE WILL COME AND BEAT A KID LIKE YOU IN NO TIME!"

Debitto felt his chest tighten, ready to let out a retort. However, a flash came from the pedestal in the middle of the room, the wind sphere slowly dying down.

"What?!" Both Debitto and Jasdero turned around, eyes wide. Lenalee looked up, trying to look at what was going on.

Krory, Allen, and Rue sensed it as well, looking up.

With a big smile and feeling overwhelmed, Allen cried out as he saw Lavi's arm up with his hand clenched tight, "Lavi...! He found the key!"

The doors of the pillar banged open, the Earl getting sucked into one of them.

"That monument is the next door?!" Lenalee observed, understanding in her eyes.

"WE CAN SEE YOU!" Jasdebi became visible again. They had no time to react as Allen, Krory, and Rue assaulted them from behind. Ah, what a way for them to take out their stress. Giving them a taste of their own medicine, the twin Noah flew into the book shelves.

"Hey... Why didn't you used your left hand?" Krory noticed. Rue nodded in agreement, silently asking the same question with her eyes.

"Because of the claws, there's no way to make a fist." As he answered, Allen looked over to the still imprisoned Lenalee. "I wanted to pay them back for hitting Lenalee first."

_Well, I'm glad you did. _Rue thought. _Come to think of it, I did punch for Lenalee too, but I would've given them more for attacking all of us. But Lenalee is my best friend, so she was the first to pop into mind._

"In any case," all three Exorcists came to an agreement due to what they went through, "that felt good!"

"Pffft. Even though their trick made no sense and it was hard to deal with, in the end, those guys were rather weak. Brats." Krory said with a sigh.

"I'm sorry, Lenalee!" Once Allen went the bubble contraption, he pressed his right hand on it, giving Lenalee direct eye contact. "I'll get you out."

"No, I'm sorry I got caught."

Then, Lenalee noticed a pair of arms, one from the twin Noahs, reaching up to grab the bookshelves.

Their voices were filled with dark, sinister intentions.

"Brats, brats. You're really making fun of us...? Let's end this game... I'll seriously kill you..."

Getting up from the floor, Debitto and Jasdero got up to their full height, looking possessed now. Allen, Krory, and Rue looked on, knowing what was coming next.

"Let's stop playing... And seriously get rid of them...!"

Lavi sensed the change of atmosphere, a chill going down his spine.

"What the Hell...?"

"Somehow, the air is getting heavier." Allen noted, not liking where this was going.

"Hurry up and get Lenalee out, Allen." Krory said with a serious voice, feeling a vein pop out once more from his temple. "This is really tiresome. With these Noahs' abilities, we can't predict what's going to happen next. Though they seemed like they wanted to make fun of us at first, now they are pissed. I hate kids that are difficult to handle."

_Not good... _Rue thought, the hairs at the nape of her neck standing on end. She felt Deathtrap and Lifeline warming up her hands, seeing that they conjured fire. But her eyes widened once she saw they weren't their usual color. _Blue...? Impossible... Has my Innocence..._

_Did it evolve, somehow...? And then, with Lightning acting up... What's going on here?!_

The twin Noah started to say something, perhaps involving their power. As they did so, one pointed their gun to the other's head. All of the Exorcists could only watch, on their toes to prepare for a fight.

"There was one cradle. There was one inside the cradle. The one became two. There was one cradle. There was one star lost in the fog. Shaking in a graveyard until it disappeared."

The guns went off and they had shot each other. However, it was not an act of suicide. It was...

"Their shadows are merging!" Lenalee noticed that the Noahs' shadows had swirled onto the floor, fusing with one another. Mist surrounded Allen, Krory, the now freed Lenalee, and Rue, coming from the Noahs' bodies.

"Be careful, Krory, Rue!" (Allen)

"Pffft, I'm waiting to see what's coming next." (Krory)

"We'll see soon enough... My Innocence wants this done and over with." (Rue)

"Allen! Krory! Rue!" Lavi was now down from the monument, his voice urgent and eyes wide. "Idiots! Get away from there! LOOK UP!"

A black shadow with a pair of eyes was looking them, regarding them with blood lust. Nobody foresaw what happened next. Krory had been hit so fast by it that he ended up being thrown back into a bookshelf. Allen was the first to notice; then Lavi, and the others saw. It wasn't just a mere physical that got one's body to slam hard from physical contact. It went beyond that for they heard a splat the moment Krory landed from impact. And he was fully covered with blood from head to toe from behind. His eyes went blank, he was not moving.

"Eh...?! Kr- Krory!" Allen shouted, eyes wide and stomach tightening into a knot.

"The first down..."

"Who is...?!" Lavi finally saw who the eyes and shadow belong to. Before him and the others stood a dark skinned person who wore a long, red coat with hearts at the shoulders. Long blond hair fell up to their legs, but there was a swirl of black hair at the top of the head and fringe.

"We, Jasdero and Debitto, were originally a single Noah." When he spoke, the voice was a fusion between the twin Noah. With a smirk, he figured there should be a reintroduction. "We're 'Jasdebi!'"

_They merged! _Lavi and Rue thought, horrified.

Allen wasted no time to lunge in for an attack to Jasdebi, not knowing...

"How dare you do that to Krory!"

"Haha, that vampire bastard! He kept making fun of us, so we had to hit him!" Jasdebi said with a grin, no trace of regrets and all smug satisfaction. "Isn't the blood great for him?!"

_Why I oughta...! _Rue was more than ready to step in and help Allen, but she had been held back by how powerful her Innocence was, Lightning charging from her fingertips to her wrists. This time, it was more than creating sparks, it went full out with covering her hands. At this, Rue buckled under the pain it gave off, falling to her knees.

"Rue...!" Lenalee had dropped by Rue's side, face pale and eyes wide. "Are you all right?! Your Innocence...!"

_Damn it... It hurts...! _She was about to make a reply, but she started coughing violently as her sickness chose to make itself known.

_What?! _Lavi also took notice, seeing the evident pain on Rue's face and her Innocence covered with violet. _Rue is...!_

"Worry... About Krory more than me..." Rue was able to say through difficulty, her eyes locking contact with a conflicted Allen. "Take care of Jasdebi...!"

Jasdebi chose this time to extend a hand to Allen, attacking him first as a shock of power consumed the Exorcist. He was pinned onto a star like contraption too, unable to move.

"Argh...!"

"What should we do with you, Allen?" Jasdebi said with a coy smile, then getting a brilliant idea-to them-in mind. "Ah... I know. How would you like to become a 'bomb!' A bomb that will destroy the exit!"

_Shit, they plan to smash Allen on the door to break it?! _Lavi thought, ready to move.

"Allen!" Lenalee wasn't liking the turn of events.

"Allen, no...!" Rue managed to stand up on her feet, trying to keep her Lightning's power under control.

Piercing through the star, Krory had been able to set Allen free. Despite being weak from blood loss, he was still able to stand.

"The vampire...!" Jasdebi shouted, shocked that he can still move.

"I am not a vampire... I'm Arystar, Arystar Krory... Don't call me a vampire!"

"Eh, that's just how we see you, you know... You can still move, even though you lost so much blood." This intrigued Jasdebi and he made it known through that grin of his. "Are you really a monster?"

Once the Exorcists saw how weak their comrade became, they went rushing to him, Lavi supporting him.

"Krory...!" (Allen)

"Hey, are you all right?! Weren't you badly injured?!" (Lavi)

"Krory, don't push yourself." Rue said, summoning Earth from her Innocence to try to nullify the lightning. It did some good, but the hurt was still felt in jolts.

"Krory, please." Lenalee said, a pleading look in her eyes.

"I am all right." Krory was trying to reassure them, an unreadable look on his face. However, it was proven otherwise once Allen got his hand off his vampire-like companion, Krory's blood seen on his right hand.

"Krory... This... This wound..." Allen mumbled with a frown, worried.

"How many bottles of Chomesuke's blood do you have left?" Lavi whispered, looking grim.

"Three." It took Krory a moment to get himself to say something, everything he did felt like it needed effort.

Lavi eyed the door, knowing that they had to get away while they still had the chance. But how?

"You won't get away." As if he could read his mind, Jasdebi wouldn't let his precious toys escape. After all, there was still a vendetta to score. "Because I will kill every, single one of you!"

Extending his right hand, Jasdebi created a shock wave, blasting Allen away.

With Lavi and the others on the move, when Jasdebi was within close proximity as he chased Allen, Lavi set off the Fire Seal from his hammer. It was quiet a moment and Lavi felt uncertain if he won. However, hearing Jasdebi's voice and seeing him live through his flames startled him and the Noah gave him a good punch in the face. Rue decided to make her move, summoning Earth from the floor and forming them into sharp splinters, intending to pierce the Noah. However, he had been able to evade it and sped up to her, punching her in the gut. Krory was to be targeted next and Jasdebi wasted no time as he pierced him with his hair, also giving him a punch to the stomach.

"Right now, our attacks, our toughness, aren't so childish as you thought anymore, right?"

Without hesitating, Jasdebi sent a blast of magic again to Krory, laughing as he did.

"Now, 'Jasdebi' is the imaginary 'strongest body' we materialized!"

Krory fell to the floor after the attack, feeling dizzy and weak, still struggling to get up.

Allen went back to attack again, casting Cross Grave. But Jasdebi had countered that and slammed a foot in his stomach. Lavi took the opportunity of distraction to slam the Noah down with his hammer, but...

"You're way too slow." Jasdebi taunted, sitting on top of Lavi's hammer. "Instead of depending on this kind of anti-Akuma weapon, shouldn't you train your body, Exorcist? You'll never defeat us!"

Another powerful shock wave was summoned, causing Lavi to cough out blood.

It was time for Rue to interfere, landing in front of the Noah and doing a series of punches and kicks. Innocence glowing, blue fire was once again summoned, making use to aim for deadly accuracy. Jasdebi proved too fast for her for every time she launched a fist their way, she ended up punching anything physical within the room, scorching it. Jasdebi appeared from behind her and she had no time to react, crying out when a sharp pain made itself known at her back, sending her falling to the floor.

Before the dangerous Noah could do any more damage to every one of them, their hair was instantly grabbed from behind. Yanking it hard sent him to be in Krory's arms, being restrained by him.

"Allen! Lavi! Rue! Take Lenalee and the others out the door!"

All Exorcists and Chaoji (who had been keeping distance the whole time this fight went on) knew what Krory intended to do, but they didn't like the sound of it.

"Let me go, you pervert!" Jasdebi said with a shrill, piercing Krory again with his hair.

"...Go..." He told his comrades in between coughing, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.

The floors began to crack, splitting. Around was the sound of rumbling, signifying that the Ark was going to break up, just as it did in the other room and outside.

"An earthquake...!" (Allen)

"This room is beginning to collapse, lero!" (Lero)

"Allen, Lavi, Rue! Hurry up! This room has reached its limit! We can't... Let anyone stay in this room any longer!" (Krory)

"I'll stay too...!" Allen was starting to say this too, but Krory wouldn't let him have it.

"Hurry up and go!"

"But you're wounded!"

"That's why I'm telling you to go! With this wound, I won't be able to fight anymore! If there is an enemy in the next room... Who will protect Lenalee and Chaoji?!" In spite of the circumstances, it was truly shown how deep friendship can become over time. Krory, who had once been isolated from the world, believed. Believed in his friends more than anyone else. "Allen... Lavi... Rue... There is nobody else I can believe in! I'm telling you to go. I BELIEVE IN YOU! GO!"

The floor had split, the impact building up on smoke, masking up the other side where Jasdebi and Krory stood.

"Krory...!" (Lenalee)

"Exorcists...!" (Chaoji)

Allen, Lavi, and Rue were deep in thought, their expressions unreadable. They knew so much was on their shoulders right now. They knew for their other comrades had sacrificed their lives in the fights.

The images of their comrades flashed into their minds.

_"You go on ahead." Kanda's back was shown as he faced the enemy head on._

_"GO!" Krory told them just moments ago, wounded but his face raw with sincerity._

_Ah, I see... To me; no, to_ us_..._ Allen understood, his eyes a firm gaze. _Even believing is important._

By the time the mist cleared, Jasdebi saw the other Exorcists had already gone.

"Not there... Not there! Not there, not there, not there!" Throwing his hands up in the air, Jasdebi felt the whole situation was just absurd. "So, they're nowhere to be found! They abandoned their friend and left! WOW!"

Turning to the door, he was ready to set out.

"I can't stop that feeling if they just run away... Those guys...! I'll chase them and catch..."

They were interrupted when they felt something hit their back. Clattering to the floor was an empty bottle that was once filled with Akuma blood. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Krory gulping down the blood, giving them one Hell of a beastly smirk.

"You can't go, brats!"

"...I'll kill you, you damn vampire...!"

oOo

They had to keep moving forward. They had to. Otherwise, they would break.

"Krory!" Lenalee was now putting up a fight with her frinds, trying to go back to where Krory went. It had been unbearable for her-for anyone, really-to leave Kanda behind, but Krory too? Allen was trying to hold her back by blocking her way. "Stop... He's been injured so much. If we don't go back..."

"Lenalee...!" Now, he had to grab her by the shoulder to keep her from walking.

"Let me go! At this rate, we'll be separated, I don't want that!"

"LENALEE!" His voice raised up, Allen spotted her wide eyed face, looking so close to tears. Sighing, he cupped her cheeks with both hands, locking eye contact with her. No matter what, he would swear to her that everything will be all right. That everyone would be alive and together again. "It'll be all right. All of us will definitely return home together. Krory and Kanda too."

As tears formed in Lenalee's eyes, he continued on, unwavering and strong.

"I won't give up either. I'll struggle and struggle! I'll definitely protect everyone!" His face softened, a gentle smile on his face. He needed to remind her who she really was. "You're not your usual, strong self. After all, aren't you like a big sister in the Order, Lenalee...?"

Punching him out of the way, Lavi, with Chaoji in tow, said, "Your big brothers won't give up either!"

"Ouch!"

With a smile, Lavi reassured, "On top of that, Krorykins is still carrying three bottles of Akuma blood he got from Chomesuke. That Krorykins, he can do it! So, have a little faith, Lenalee..."

Rue watched on, keeping silent. With each step she took every time she had to walk away from her comrades' fights, she felt her insides grow cold. It felt like her whole body became numb, like it was acting as a defense to shield her from all kinds of pain. Then, what was this aching in her heart? It felt so much like that time when Daisya-

_Why...? _Rue thought, falling to her knees with her face buried in her hands, barely hearing her companions' voices calling to her out of panic and concern. _Why does it have to feel like this? I'm fine... I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine...! Then, why?! Why does it hurt?! We're Exorcists, this is our duty! And given my past, I should be used to this kind of thing! Then, why...!_

_Daisya is-! Then, Kanda; now, Krory... How much more? How much more do we have to keep fighting? How many more lives are at risk, be used as sacrifices? And the high possibility of dying... How much more do people close to me have to disappear from my life, especially because of death being the cause...!_

"Rue?" She looked up from her palms, seeing everyone peering at her. Rue avoided all eye contact, staring hard at the floor. Her vision was skewed, followed by dizziness, and she felt a headache pounding hard in her skull. She could barely stand now, she had little to no strength left. Her Innocence was acting up again but, thankfully, there was no physical evidence of the elements. All she felt was pain from her fingertips to her wrists, it hurt so much to move them.

Could it be the Innocence was reacting to her mental and emotional states? She couldn't show her feelings, no. Rue had to look brave. She had to be brave for Lenalee and everyone else. She couldn't afford to let her feelings slip up.

_I need my vengeance... I need to stay to stay alive... And I need to... I need to protect everyone, so this cycle can be stopped...! Stupid Rue! Stupid, stupid Rue! Why do you have to be so weak?! Why can't you fight harder to protect the things precious to you...! IDIOT!_

She had no idea what happened. She vaguely felt a hand on her forehead and she barely heard Lavi tell the rest of their comrades that her fever was coming back in full force. The next thing she knew, she was in Lavi's arms and she struggled, but feebly. One arm was under her legs, the other supporting her back as his hand gripped her shoulder. Her head was resting against his chest, right where his heart resided, but she still kept her expression blank.

"Rue... It's all right." She saw Lenalee was squeezing her hand, smiling warmly and tears still in her eyes. "You're trying to be brave for me too, right? Even though I don't know what happened to you since we last saw each other, I know... I know you're going through something. Don't bottle it up so much, okay? After all, it's not good for you, being my 'bodyguard' and younger sister, right? So please... Don't burden yourself."

"Lenalee..." Rue called her name, a few violent coughs following short after, feeling her throat burning. She was able to squeeze Lenalee's hand back, but it was a weak grip. "I'm sorry for being weak right now. I can't fight right now, I'm not at my best, and... And..."

"Rue," Allen went over to her next, tousling her hair softly. "Whatever it is... Hang in there. Hang in there and don't give up. Keep fighting... Keep fighting as you always do..."

"I'm trying, Allen... I'm really trying... Thank you. Thank you too, Lenalee."

Once Allen, Lenalee, and Chaoji had gone a little ahead, Lavi and Rue were in each other's company. Although Lavi knew Deak was going all with warnings and lectures in his mind, he kept the other's mouth shut, telling him that he couldn't leave Rue alone as she was now.

"Lavi..."

Hearing her voice cut into his thoughts, Lavi looked down at Rue. It was harder to read her emotions now, but he was still able to sense some part of it. She looked up at him, face blank, but her eyes... Her eyes were shining with something, though it was an unreadable emotion. To his surprise, when she spoke her next words, her voice cracked.

"Is it okay... To let go...?"

"Rue...?"

"These burdens... These pains... Is it all right to let go for a while...?"

Up to now, he had no idea what she was thinking, what she was feeling. In a way, she was a little broken and he couldn't figure out why. The cold Rue he met two years ago still had a vulnerable side she rarely showed. Could this be it resurfacing? Impossible.

But if it was impossible...

Why did she look so fragile? Why did it look like she was going to break? And why, not like her at all, did it look like she was going to cry?

"...It's all right." He said quietly, unconsciously tightening his grip on her. Without thinking, he placed an unexpected but well meaning kiss on her forehead, his gaze gentle towards her. "You've struggled, worked hard, and did your best. Even in this state, you're still trying to fight with all of your strength. You've fulfilled your duty as an Exorcist. And I know you've been pushing through everything with your iron will, not giving yourself some time to think, so... Let go, Rue. Let go and give yourself a break for all of your hard work. I'll still be here for you... No matter what."

"Lavi..." Rue's voice was getting softer, her breath sounding lighter. "...Thank you..."

His smile was the last thing she saw before black took over her vision, the peace of sleep very much needed.


End file.
